Robert “Kelly” Wayne Robbins

Robert “Kelly” Wayne Robbins (29 Sept 1919 – 19 Feb 2009)

Robert “Kelly” Wayne Robbins
(29 Sept 1919 – 19 Feb 2009)

Born in Grant County, IN, Robert Robbins began his career as a radio engineer. He enlisted in the US Navy in 1942, serving in World War II. After returning from the war, he continued to work in radio, switching to television in 1949. He was the first cameraman for the first television broadcast of the Indianapolis 500.

After that stopped in 1950, he pioneered several cable television systems across the US. He was a charter member of The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers, a nonprofit professional organization founded in 1969 to support the advancement of cable telecommunications engineering and operations.

Robert Wayne Robbins is buried in Section 212, Lot 2 (GPS 39.826602, -86.174703) with his wife (Sylvia) and son (Robert, Jr.).
While Earl Townsend, Jr. (buried in Crown Hill Cemetery) is reporting the first Indianapolis 500, Robert Wayne Robbins sits behind the camera as the first cameraman for the Indianapolis 500 broadcast. Photo courtesy of the Indianapolis 500.