Robinson, 71, died at Cape Fear Memorial Hospital in Wilmington on Monday. He had disclosed earlier this month that his illness was terminal.

This morning, many friends and colleagues in Rowan and Cabarrus recalled his leadership in education, his wit and his charm.

“He moved education in the state of North Carolina to a different level during his tenure,” said Dr. Joe McCann, superintendent of the Rowan-Salisbury Schools.

“A lot of children across this state who have never heard of Jay Robinson have benefited greatly by his many contributions over his career,” said Dr. Ed Tyson, superintendent of Kannapolis City Schools. “He was the right person for the right time in education.”

“Jay had an uncanny way of sizing up a situation and the courage to take action,” said Dr. Joe Fries, retired superintendent of the Cabarrus County Schools.

“He had a winning personality. He never met a stranger,” said Fries, who succeeded Robinson to the superintendent’s post in Cabarrus.

“He was a wonderful superintendent, one of the finest leaders I’ve known,” said Dr. Grier Bradshaw of Kannapolis. Bradshaw was superintendent in Kannapolis when Robinson headed the Cabarrus schools. They worked closely together, avoiding the rivalry that came in later years.

“He was always a person who stood up for what he thought was right,” said Dr. Melvin Morgan, former assistant superintendent of the Rowan-Salisbury Schools. “He was a pusher. He didn’t mind telling the state superintendent what he thought.”

Always willing to take time and talk to people, a live wire, always fair, he used his political skills, his humor and his ability as a speaker to improve education, Morgan said.

Marcus Smith, former superintendent of the Salisbury schools, said Robinson forged regional organizations to help train teachers and develop programs.

“He was a good friend to everyone in education,” Smith said. “He could get things accomplished that many others couldn’t do. He used his hillbilly speech pattern to the hilt — and got people’s attention.”

In 1993, Gov. Jim Hunt persuaded Robinson to delay retiring to lead the state Board of Education, where he helped launch the statewide ABC testing program.

The ABC program holds schools accountable for how well their students perform on end-of-year tests. The program has been praised by many education leaders nationally.

“He saw things so clearly and he was honest to a fault,” said state schools Superintendent Mike Ward. “He always put doing the right thing ahead of political foolishness, which was a breath of fresh air in Raleigh at the time.”

During his tenure on the state board, Robinson also directed almost 40 percent in cuts in the bureaucracy at the state Department of Public Instruction.

A native of Mitchell County, Robinson earned a bachelor’s degree from Appalachian State University, a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a doctorate in education from Duke University.

Robinson began his career as a math teacher in 1950 at Odell High School in rural Cabarrus County. He went on to coach and teach at Winecoff High School.

He rose to superintendent in the mid-1960s and led the consolidation effort creating Northwest Cabarrus, Central Cabarrus and Mount Pleasant high schools.

Robinson surrounded himself with a cadre of bright young educators. Four went on to become superintendents: Dr. Ed Tyson in Kannapolis; Dr. Don Williams and Dr. Jesse Register in Iredell and Fries in Cabarrus.

One of his few defeats came at the hands of Cabarrus Clerk of Court Estus “Sonny” White. When Robinson took the Cabarrus commissioners to court over funding for schools, White ruled against Robinson. Under state law, the clerk of court makes the decision.

Fries said that although his effort failed, Robinson succeeded in his overall aim, to galvanize Cabarrus residents into supporting more money for schools.

Robinson’s accomplishments during 27 years in Cabarrus gained statewide attention. He was appointed superintendent of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district in 1977 — six years after a U.S. Supreme Court order and a time when desegregation was still a volatile issue. Robinson led the state’s largest district through integration during his nine years as its superintendent.

“I think he possibly was the most successful school superintendent this system ever had,” said C.D. Spangler, a Charlotte businessman who served on the county’s school board and the state Board of Education, and later served as president of the state university system.

“He was completely sincere in everything he did and could eventually persuade just about anyone to see things his way.”

Spangler hired Robinson in 1986 to work with him as the University of North Carolina’s vice president for public affairs and special projects. Robinson quickly became chief lobbyist for the system’s 16 campuses.

Robinson retired from the state school board in 1997 and joined the board of trustees at UNC-Wilmington, a position he held until his death.

“I have never known an education leader in North Carolina who did more to change and improve our schools than he did,” Hunt said. “His legacy will be public schools that help all of our children to succeed.”