Irv Robbins
| Irvine Robbins | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 6, 1917 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Died | May 5, 2008 (aged 90) Rancho Mirage, California, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Washington |
| Occupation | Co-founder of Baskin-Robbins |
| Spouse(s) | Irma Gevurtz |
| Children | Marsha, John, Erin |
Irvine "Irv" Robbins (December 6, 1917 – May 5, 2008) was a Canadian-born American businessman. He co-founded the Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlor chain in 1945 with his partner and brother-in-law Burt Baskin.
Robbins was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to a Jewish family. His father, Aaron Robbins, owned a dairy and The Olympic Store ice cream business at 954 Court C in Tacoma, Washington, USA. He attended both Tacoma's Stadium High School, where he was a yell leader, and Seattle's Garfield High School.
Robbins grew up scooping cones in his family's ice cream store for customers who always seemed to be having a good time. He recalled that he often "finished a day's work happy" and wanted that same feeling when he started his own business.
Irv Robbins attended the University of Washington in Seattle, was a member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity, and graduated with a degree in Political Science. He served in the U.S. Army as a Staff Sergeant in California, during World War II and was discharged August 1945.
After getting out of the Army in 1945, he soon opened the Snowbird Ice Cream store on December 7, 1945 in Glendale, California. Robbins cashed in a $6,000 insurance policy given him for his Bar Mitzvah to start the business.
Burt Baskin owned a men's store in the Palmer House in Chicago, and married Robbins' sister Shirley in 1942. He had enlisted in the Navy and was released from service early 1946 and came to California, where Robbins convinced him that selling ice cream was more fun than selling men's ties & shirts, and within a couple of months he opened Burton's Ice Cream at 561 So. Lake Pasadena, California.
...
Wikipedia