Robben Wright Fleming
Robben Wright Fleming (December 18, 1916 – January 11, 2010), also known in his youth as Robben Wheeler Fleming, was an American lawyer, professor, and academic administrator. He was president of the University of Michigan from 1968 to 1979—and interim president again in 1988—and established a reputation for patience and willingness to engage in dialogue with students during the frequent campus protests of that era. He has been called "one of the truly great presidents of the University of Michigan". He served as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1964 to 1967 and also led that institution through a period of campus unrest—including, in one instance, writing a personal check to cover bail for students arrested during a demonstration. He also worked as a lawyer in the U.S. Army during World War II, as a labor negotiator, and as president of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Early life and education Robben Wright Fleming was born in Paw Paw, Illinois, on December 18, 1916, to Edmund P. Fleming and Emily Jeannette Wheeler. He was of Scottish descent on his father's side, while his mother's Dutch ancestors had come to the U.S. in 1652. His brother Teddy contracted spinal meningitis in