ALBANY — Anne Robb, a major supporter of a host of civic institutions in the city of Schenectady and wife of a former General Electric Co. executive and engineer, died of natural causes on June 8 in Wayland, Mass. She was 93.
Robb and her late husband, Walter L.Robb, gave generously to virtually every major institution in Schenectady — including Proctors Theatre, the Schenectady Museum (now MiSci), the Boys and Girls Clubs of Schenectady, Schenectady Symphony Orchestra and the First Reformed Church.
Anne Gruver Robb was born to Arthur Stanley and Isabelle Laurie Gruver on Oct. 9, 1929 in Watervliet. Both her mother and and her older brother died when she was young and she credited a nanny and a stepmother with giving her the confidence to attend Russell Sage College, according to her paid obituary. She graduated in 1951.
That year she met Walter Robb at a YMCA mixer. She was working as a secretary with GE and he was a young engineer with the company. They were married in 1954 and moved to Glenville where they eventually had three sons.
Walter had an extremely successful career at GE, where he rose to lead the company’s research and development center. He made contributions to the development of the CT scanner and MRI machine, two GE products that have revolutionized medicine.
The Robbs moved to Brookfield, Wis. in 1974 and lived there until 1986 before returning to the Capital Region and settling in Niskayuna. It was during those 12 years Anne began taking a larger role outside of the home, navigating the intricacies of being an executive’s wife and volunteering with a variety of organizations.
Robb left a significant imprint on the city’s cultural fabric. “Anne was a quiet partner with Walt,” said Proctors CEO Philip Morris. “She advised, not acquiesced.” They were among the first community leaders to assist in the theater’s $24 million renovation of the main stage and Carl Company building. “Standing up meant a substantial gift and, more than money, leadership,” Morris said.
Robb Alley, a public space connecting State Street with Proctors and modeled on Schubert Alley in Manhattan, was also their idea. “We loved it and them,” Morris said.
Robb was particularly generous towards Russell Sage College. “Anne Robb exemplified the college’s motto ‘to be, to know, to do,'” the school said in a statement Sunday. “She was a model for our students of a purposeful life well lived.”
The Robbs endowed a fellowship in 1995 to fund a current or visiting science faculty member at the college.
Outside of their philanthropy, the Robbs were avid bridge players and Anne was a keen music lover with tastes that ranged from Glenn Miller to Rachmaninoff.
Robb had been living in Wayland, Mass to be closer to her children since her husband’s death from COVID-19 in March 2020.
She is survived by three sons, Richard, Steven, and Lindsey, and five granddaughters.
A memorial service and interment of ashes will be held at the First Reformed Church of Schenectady, though no date has been given yet. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Humane Society of the United States.