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Shirley
Jean “Stoll” Robb
Shirley J. Robb
entered the history books in November 1999 when she was elected the
thirtieth Mayor of Princeton and became the first female ever to be
elected as Mayor of the City of Princeton.
In it's 116-year history as a City, no female had ever come close to
becoming Mayor.
Robb was born January
20, 1928 as the daughter of Francis and Marie “Weist” Stoll in
Princeton, Indiana. Shirley
was born in the front bedroom of the house she still resides in today at
527 East State Street.
Shirley Robb attended
St. Joseph Catholic School until the eighth grade when she entered the
public schools and graduated from Princeton High School in 1945.
Robb moved to
California for two years working at a local telephone company and
restaurants. In 1946 she
returned to Princeton, following her mothers request, and has resided in
Princeton ever since. Upon
her return to Princeton, she spent the next 10 years working at the local
Princeton Telephone Company.
Shirley Stoll would
become Mrs. Ed C. Robb in 1949 and in 1955 they had an only child, a
daughter named Scarlett Robb.
In 1956 Robb took
employment at Potter & Brumfield and would be employed there for the
next 35 years. She retired in
October 1991.
Robb, an ardent
Democrat, would get her first taste of public office in 1992 when she was
elected Clerk Treasurer of the City of Princeton and held that position
for two-four year terms.
In 1999 when long time
Democrat Mayor George Taylor announced that after 12 years he would not
run for re-election, Shirley decided to test the waters and see if
Princeton was ready for its first female Mayor.
Robb was elected Mayor
in November 1999 defeating Republican Jim Morrow in the general election
and would win a second term in office defeating Republican Leon Stone in
November 2003.
On 2/1/05 Princeton Mourned the loss of its Mayor just days after her 77th birthday,
Mayor Shirley Robb died around 3 AM Tuesday 2/1/05 at Gibson General Hospital after falling ill and being hospitalized for the past several weeks.
During Shirley’s second term in office, her health began to decline; Robb continued to carry out the duties as Mayor right up to the last couple of days of her life. City officials would meet with Mayor Robb daily, and as needed meetings would be set up in the hospitals conference room.
Shirley was proud to have been elected not once but twice by her fellow citizens to be commander and chief of the city. Mayor Robb never shied away from a tough decision, in making her decisions she always did what she felt was best for the city.
For those who worked with Mayor Robb on a daily bases, we knew that taking care of the cities business was her love, her life and the adrenalin that kept her going these last few years. She enjoyed coming into the office everyday and serving the citizens of Princeton. Shirley always prided herself on having an open door policy; more often than not when you called the Mayors office, Shirley would be the one answering the phone, she would talk to anyone at anytime no matter how large or small the problem.
Mayor Robb always ran a tight ship in her administration and as most department heads can tell you from experience, if you stepped out of line she had no problem calling you to the office and setting you straight.
Shirley Robb is the third Mayor to die in office.
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