Santa Fe New Mexican — LEGISLATURE
2014 New Mexico Legislative Session
Legislative roundup – Friday, January 31, 2014, 9:00 pm
Here’s to you, Mr. and Mrs. Robinson: Nike founder and owner Phil Knight visited the New Mexico House of Representatives on Friday to honor Charles and Mara Robinson of Santa Fe. A memorial in the House sponsored by Speaker Kenny Martinez, D-Grants, recognized the Robinsons “as New Mexico living treasures” for their contributions to the state, particularly their support for arts and education. Knight met Charles Robinson, 94, in the early days of Nike — long before it sold $23 billion worth of merchandise in a year and catapulted Knight’s net worth past $16 billion. Charles Robinson served on the Nike board of directors for 33 years.
After serving in World War II, Charles Robinson launched a career in international business, including founding Marcona Corp., a mining company in Peru, and later became an investment banker. He was appointed undersecretary for economic affairs by Secretary of State Henry Kissinger during President Gerald Ford’s administration.
Mara Robinson, 84, is a former opera singer. She founded the Opera-West company in San Francisco in the 1950s and was a talent scout for The Santa Fe Opera and a founding member of the New Mexico School for the Arts. The Robinsons have lived in Santa Fe since 1978. They have three daughters.
