This was one of Robb\u2019s initial interactions with George Mason University. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On June 10, 2019 I and my colleague, Schar School Communications Manager, Buzz McClain (BA \u201977) had the opportunity to sit down and speak to Senator Robb in his home in McLean for about 90 minutes. We discussed his life, career, and his association with the university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charles S. “Chuck” Robb was born in Phoenix, Arizona and grew up in northern Virginia. He attended Mt. Vernon High School, and Cornell University before graduating from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He completed officer training in the United States Marines at Quantico before being stationed at the White House. There he met his wife Lynda Johnson, the daughter of President Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson. He served in Vietnam before earning his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1973. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He entered politics in 1977, serving first as Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor (1978-1982) and Governor (1982-1986). He later served as a U.S. Senator (Virginia) from 1989-2001. <\/p>\n\n\n\n George Mason University president Alan Merten, with whom Robb served at the White House in the 1960s, asked him to join George Mason University as a Distinguished Professor of Law and Public Policy when he left the Senate. He is still a faculty member of Mason’s Schar School of Policy and Government and Antonin Scalia Law School. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The 90-minute interview dealt with Robb’s early years up to today. He recounted that early on he had placed a very high importance on obtaining a quality education. Military service in Vietnam, even though he was recently married, was his duty. As a politician, Robb sought to eradicate the last vestiges of segregation in Virginia and improve conditions and pay for the Commonwealth’s teachers. As for George Mason University, Senator Robb expressed that he was \u201cvery pleased to have had the opportunity to have been associated with (George Mason University Presidents) Alan Merten and George Johnson\u201d. He added that The interview is part of the George Mason University Oral History Program collection and is available for viewing in the Special Collections Research Center. To learn more about how to view this interview, please contact SCRC at speccoll@gmu.edu. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow Special Collections Research Center on Social Media at our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. To search the collections held at Special Collections Research Center, go to our website and browse the finding aids by subject or title. You may also e-mail us at speccoll@gmu.edu or call 703-993-2220 if you would like to schedule an appointment, request materials, or if you have questions. Appointments are not necessary to request and view collections.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When the George Mason University School of Law (now known as the Antonin Scalia Law School) graduated its first class on August 23, 1980, the featured keynote speaker was then-Lieutenant Governor, Charles S. Robb. Lieutenant Governor Robb spoke for about 20 minutes. Robb began his speech by praising the university and the northern Virginia Delegation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":8626,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[529,243,104,94],"tags":[792,793,794],"class_list":["post-8628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-george-mason-university-history","category-gmu-arlington-campus","category-oral-history","category-university-archives","tag-charles-s-robb","tag-george-mason-university-school-of-law","tag-schar-school-of-government-and-policy"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Robb-1.jpg?fit=6000%2C4000&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Ep5i-2fa","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4258,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=4258","url_meta":{"origin":8628,"position":0},"title":"Mason Inaugurations Through the Years, Part Two","author":"Bob Vay","date":"April 30, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"This post is a continuation of the the original post entitled Mason Inaugurations Through the Years. Dr. Robert Krug became George Mason University's third president although he never interviewed for it. The unexpected resignation of President Vergil Dykstra in April 1977 came as a surprise to many, but to none\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Krug_at_desk_small.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9858,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9858","url_meta":{"origin":8628,"position":1},"title":"Remembering A. Linwood Holton, Jr.","author":"Bob Vay","date":"October 29, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"On Friday April 7, 1972, a group from George Mason College, led by Chancellor Lorin A. Thompson, met with Virginia Governor, A. Linwood Holton, Jr. at his office in Richmond. They were there to witness the Governor\u2019s signing into law Virginia General Assembly Bill H 210 separating George Mason College\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "George Mason University History"","block_context":{"text":"George Mason University History","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=529"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Holton_gov_conf-scaled.jpg?fit=966%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Holton_gov_conf-scaled.jpg?fit=966%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Holton_gov_conf-scaled.jpg?fit=966%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Holton_gov_conf-scaled.jpg?fit=966%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10208,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=10208","url_meta":{"origin":8628,"position":2},"title":"George Mason University Becomes Independent, April 7, 1972","author":"Bob Vay","date":"August 26, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"This post is part of a four-part series detailing the history of George Mason University from the student perspective. Our initial post,\u00a0Before We Became George Mason University: Our First Campus at Bailey\u2019s Crossroads, can be read here:\u00a0https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=10138 and Establishing our Identity: George Mason's Fairfax Campus, can be read here: https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=10152\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Class_of_1972-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Class_of_1972-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Class_of_1972-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Class_of_1972-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Class_of_1972-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11392,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=11392","url_meta":{"origin":8628,"position":3},"title":"Not Just the Guy Whose Name Was on the Checks: Remembering Dr. Maurice “Morrie” Scherrens","author":"Bob Vay","date":"April 22, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Back in the 1990s, before the age of direct payroll deposit, George Mason University employees received a printed check at the end of each pay period. In the lower right-hand corner of the check was the signature \"Maurice Scherrens\".\u00a0 While many of us might not have known exactly who Mr.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "George Mason University History"","block_context":{"text":"George Mason University History","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=529"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/R0135_1996-9-05.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/R0135_1996-9-05.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/R0135_1996-9-05.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/R0135_1996-9-05.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5647,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=5647","url_meta":{"origin":8628,"position":4},"title":"About the Special Collections Research Center","author":"admin","date":"June 9, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) in George Mason University Libraries serves the scholarly community and beyond. While our services are used mainly by students and faculty, we are open to the public for research or for personal interest. The SCRC staff is dedicated to preserving, organizing, and collecting various\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "oral history"","block_context":{"text":"oral history","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=104"},"img":{"alt_text":"Poe,Edgar Allan, The Raven, PS2609 .A1 1884, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/PS2609_A1_1884FB-240x168.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6929,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6929","url_meta":{"origin":8628,"position":5},"title":"Ten Years Later: Remembering Roy","author":"admin","date":"October 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This was written by Michael Rynearson. He is a graduate research assistant for the Special Collections Research Center. 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\u201cMason wanted to establish itself as a standout university and help students who really wanted to get an education. They have done that.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Robb-1.jpg?resize=592%2C395&ssl=1\")
Senator Charles S. “Chuck” Robb is interviewed at his home in McLean, VA, June 10, 2019. Photograph by Buzz McClain. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n