Charles M. Robinson III (May 25, 1949 – September 18, 2012) was an American author, illustrator, and adventurer. He was a history instructor with

South Texas College South Texas College (STC) is a public community college in the Rio Grande Valley region of South Texas. It is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award Bachelor of Applied Technology ...

McAllen McAllen is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Hidalgo County. It is located at the southern tip of the state in the Rio Grande Valley, on the Mexican border. The city limits extend south to the Rio Grande, across ...

, Texas, until early 2012 and was a member of the 2010

Oxford Round Table The Oxford Round Table is a series of interdisciplinary conferences organised in Oxford, UK by a US-based (currently California-based) educational organisation. The company is not affiliated with the University of Oxford, which has stated that e ...

. He was a graduate of

St. Edward's University St. Edward's University is a private, Catholic university in Austin, Texas, United States. It was founded and is operated in the Holy Cross tradition. History Founding and early history St. Edward's University was founded by the Reverend Edwa ...

and the

University of Texas–Pan American The University of Texas–Pan American (UTPA) was a public university in Edinburg, Texas. Founded in 1927, it was a component institution of the University of Texas System. The university served the Rio Grande Valley (Texas), Rio Grande Valley a ...

. He has written several books that deal with the

American Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...

, as well as the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and the

Spanish conquest of Mexico The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was a pivotal event in the history of the Americas, marked by the collision of the Aztec Triple Alliance and the Spanish Empire. Taking place between 1519 and 1521, this event saw the Spanish conquistad ...

. He has also written magazine articles on seafaring, sailing, hunting, guns, and antique automobiles. In 1993 he was awarded the T. R. Fehrenbach Book Award by the Texas Historical Commission.

Personal life

Robinson was born in

Harlingen, Texas Harlingen ( ) is a city in Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County in the central region of the Rio Grande Valley (Texas), Rio Grande Valley of the southern part of the U.S. state of Texas, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city co ...

, to Rosalyn (née Crispin), a public school teacher, and Charles M. Robinson Jr., a Presbyterian minister. When he was 13, he climbed alone from the Paseo de Cortes to the snow line of Popocatepetl volcano, in Mexico, turning back when he realized he couldn't cross the glaciers without a guide. Two weeks later, he was investigating the 2,800-year-old pyramid of Cuicuilco when a wall gave way, severely injuring his upper lip and jaw. He had scars across his lip for the rest of his lifetime. At 17, he dropped out of high school and obtained a berth as a crewman on a Norwegian cargo ship. In that capacity, he was in Nigeria when the civil war broke out in that country. He worked on several ships serving Africa and northern South America, until a back injury and recurring malaria rendered him unfit for further service. After working two years in Scandinavia, he returned home, and worked as an aircraft mechanic. He had also raced sailing yachts, was a competent horseman, and enjoyed back-country hunting and Austin-Healey sports cars. He had drawn on these experiences to give more depth to several of his books. In 1971, he joined the staff of the ''Harlingen Valley Morning Star'' as a copyboy, eventually rising to city editor in 1979. He later worked as editor of the ''San Benito News'', and the

Weslaco, Texas Weslaco ( ) is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 41,103, Studies from 2023 show the population is 43,053 and in 2020 the estimated population was 40,160. It is at the southern tip of Texa ...

, ''Mid-Valley Town Crier'', while simultaneously continuing his education. He was married to Perla M. Torres from 1974 until her death in 2004. He has one daughter. Robinson was a chain smoker for more than forty years, and in March 2008, his right lung was removed because of cancer. In June 2011, he suffered from respiratory arrest and spent five days on life support, prompting him to substantially curtail his activities, and ultimately leading to his retirement in February 2012. He died at a hospice in

Olmito, Texas Olmito is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cameron County, Texas, United States. ''Olmito'' is Spanish for "little elm". The population was 1,021 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Brownsville– Harlingen Metropolitan Statistical Ar ...

on September 18, 2012. A High Church Episcopalian, he was known for his strong religious views.

Bibliography

*''Frontier Forts of Texas'' *''The Frontier World of Fort Griffin: The Life and Death of a Western Town'' *''Bad Hand: A Biography of General Ranald S. Mackenzie'' *''The Court Martial of Lieutenant Henry Flipper'' *''The Buffalo Hunters'' *''A Good Year to Die: The Story of the Great Sioux War'' *''Shark of the Confederacy: The Story of the

CSS Alabama CSS ''Alabama'' was a screw sloop-of-war built in 1862 for the Confederate States Navy. The vessel was built in Birkenhead on the River Mersey opposite Liverpool, England, by John Laird Sons and Company. Launched as ''Enrica'', she was fitte ...

'' *''The Indian Trial: The Complete Story of the Warren Wagon Train Massacre and the Fall of the Kiowa Nation'' *''

Satanta Satanta (IPA: eˈtʰæntə (Set'tainte ( éʔ.tˀã́j.dè or ''White Bear'') ( – October 11, 1878) was a Kiowa war chief. He was a member of the Kiowa tribe, born around 1815, during the height of the power of the Plains Tribes, probably ...

: The Life and Death of a War Chief'' *''Hurricane of Fire: The Union Assault on

Fort Fisher Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865. The fort was located on one of Cape Fear Riv ...

'' *''The Men Who Wear the Star: The Story of the Texas Rangers'' *''General Crook and the Western Frontier'' *''The Diary of

John Gregory Bourke John Gregory Bourke (; June 23, 1846 – June 8, 1896) was a captain in the United States Army and a prolific diarist and Reconstruction Era author; he wrote several books about the American Old West, including ethnologies of its indigenous peop ...

, Vol. 1, 1872–1876'' *''The Diary of John Gregory Bourke, Vol. 2, 1876–1878'' *''The Diary of John Gregory Bourke, Vol. 3, 1878–1880'' *''The Diary of John Gregory Bourke, Vol. 4, 1880–1881'' *''The Plains Wars, 1758–1900'' *''The Spanish Invasion of Mexico, 1519–1521'' *''Texas and the Mexican War: A History and a Guide''. *''The Western Lawman, 1850–1930'' *With John Pohl. ''Aztecs and Conquistadores: The Spanish Invasion and the Collapse of the Aztec Empire'' *''Roadside History of Louisiana'' *''The Fall of a Black Army Officer: Racism and the Myth of Henry O. Flipper''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Charles, Iii 1949 births 2012 deaths American illustrators People from Harlingen, Texas St. Edward's University alumni University of Texas–Pan American alumni Writers from Texas 20th-century American Episcopalians