Transcript Jackie Robinson - Middlebury College

Jackie Robinson
By Dan Skoglund
Early Years
• Born January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia.
• Youngest of five children of Jerry and
Mallie Robinson.
• Attended UCLA for his college education in
1939.
• While at UCLA, Jackie lettered in football,
baseball, basketball and track.
• Enlists into the United States Army in 1942.
Early Years of Baseball Career
• Robinson begins to
play with the Kansas
City Monarchs of the
American Negro
League in 1945.
• Later in 1945,
Robinson signs a
contract to play in the
Brooklyn Dodgers
organization.
Highlights of Jackie with the
Dodgers
•
Wins the Rookie of the
Year Award in 1947
• Voted National League
MVP in 1949
• Retires from baseball in
1957 after helping the
dodgers win six pennants
and one world series
• Elected to the Baseball
Hall of Fame in 1962.
Life After Baseball
• In 1957, Robinson became
vice president of Chock
Full O’ Nuts, a coffee and
restaurant chain.
• He later co-founded
Freedom National Bank of
Harlem, where he served as
the chairman of the board
from 1964 to 1972.
Civil Rights
• Starting in 1957, Robinson traveled
throughout the country to raise funds for the
NAACP.
• His efforts through the NAACP led him to a
close relationship with Dr. Martin Luther
King and other civil right leaders
Politics
• Robinson’s concern with politics led him to
influence leaders such as Dwight
Eisenhower, Hubert Humphrey, Richard
Nixon, John F. Kennedy, and Nelson
Rockefeller.
• He was appointed to special assistant of
community affairs in Rockefeller’s
campaign in the 1964 presidential election.
Later Years
• Died October 24, 1972 in Stamford, Connecticut
• The Jackie Robinson Foundation, which was
founded by Mrs. Rachel Robinson, helps keep
Jackie’s spirit alive, by supporting college bound
minority and poor young people seeking to
develop their potential
• Major League Baseball celebrated Jackie
Robinson’s 50th anniversary of breaking the color
barrier, by retiring his number 42 in 1997
Why a Hero to Me?
• Jackie Robinson is a hero to me strictly because he
embodies the words courage and
unselfishness. He had the courage to ignore the
insults and other acts of racism that he met
throughout his baseball career. He was a total
selfless person, who was thinking of an entire
race, not of himself. He was admired by millions
of people of many races for his talent, but also
more for his character. His goals in life were to
better the lives of others, especially minorities.
Robinson Photos
Quotes
• "A life is not important except in the
impact it has on other lives.“- Jackie
Robinson
"He struck a mighty blow for equality, freedom and the
American way of life. Jackie Robinson was a good citizen,
a great man, and a true American champion."
-- Ronald Reagan, Presidential Medal of Freedom
ceremony, 1986