We shared the news earlier this week that King County Executive Dow Constantine declared April 6 of this year Jerry Robinson and Robinson Newspapers Day, and today we'd like to share a proclamation from Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn.

Robinson purchased the White Center News in 1952 and later came to acquire a chain of weekly newspapers from Ballard to Burien. The newspapers have won numerous awards and have been the training ground for many journalists around the region.

Robinson, 93 years old on April 6, remains a vital part of the company and regularly writes for the publications.

The proclamation, also for viewing as a download found up top and in the slideshow, reads:

Whereas, like many others during World War Two, Jerry Robinson found himself contributing to the war effort by moving to Seattle and working for Boeing; and

Whereas, the layoffs that came after the war forced Jerry Robinson to rely on his hard work and resourcefulness to piece together a living by cleaning oil stoves, digging ditches, and decorating department stores; and

Whereas, Mr. Robinson soon found his way into the newspaper world, where his work ethic combined with a passion for community engagement, writing for and selling the Kent News-Journal before buying the White Center News in 1952, at the age of 31; and

Whereas, from one paper, Mr. Robinson went on to found a dozen others, employing four hundred people across Puget Sound and starting the Rotary Offset Press, at one time the largest user of newsprint in the state for a non-daily newspaper; and

Whereas, these papers balanced serious, hard-hitting reporting with local interest pieces, providing a sense of community by encouraging readers to focus their attention on how larger stories affect them and their neighbors; and

Whereas, the Robinson newspapers have continued to evolve alongside the publishing industry and continue to provide an important voice alongside the larger daily newspapers and other types of media;

Now, Therefore, I, Mike McGinn, Mayor of the City of Seattle, do hereby proclaim April 6, 2013, to be

Jerry Robinson Day

In Seattle, and I encourage everyone to go into the day with Jerry’s favorite phrase in mind, that “maybe something good will happen.”

-Michael McGinn, Mayor of Seattle