Rachel Robinson

For the reality television contestant, see Road Rules: Campus Crawl.
Rachel Robinson

Robinson in 2005
Born Rachel Annetta Isum
(1922-07-19) July 19, 1922
Los Angeles, California,
United States
Occupation Nurse
Spouse(s) Jackie Robinson (m. 1946–1972; his death)
Children 3
Rachel Robinson (third from left) on March 2, 2005, accepting the Congressional Gold Medal for her husband from President George W. Bush.

Rachel Robinson (born Rachel Annetta Isum; July 19, 1922) is a former registered nurse and the widow of baseball player Jackie Robinson. She was born in Los Angeles and attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where she met Robinson in 1941 prior to his leaving UCLA when his baseball eligibility ran out. She graduated from UCLA June 1, 1945, with a bachelor's degree in nursing.[1] Rachel and Robinson married on February 10, 1946,[1] the year before he broke into the big leagues. Their son Jackie Robinson, Jr. (1946-1971) was born in November 1946. The Robinsons would later have a daughter, Sharon, born 1950, and another son, David, born 1952.

After Jackie Robinson's retirement from baseball following the 1956 season, Rachel Robinson further pursued her nursing career, obtaining a master's degree in psychiatric nursing from New York University,.[1] She worked as a researcher and clinician at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s Department of Social and Community Psychiatry, a position she held for five years.[2] She then became an Assistant Professor at Yale School of Nursing and later the Director of Nursing at the Connecticut Mental Health Center.[2][3]

In 1972, she incorporated the Jackie Robinson Development Corporation, a real estate development company specializing in low- to moderate-income housing, and served as president for ten years. In 1973, she founded the Jackie Robinson Foundation, a not-for-profit organization providing educational and leadership opportunities for minority students. The Foundation has provided support for over 1,000 minority students and has maintained a 97% graduation rate among its scholars.[2]

In 1996, she authored "Jackie Robinson: An Intimate Portrait," published by Abrams Publishing Company.[2]

In 2007, she was awarded the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award by Commissioner Bud Selig.[4]

In 2009, she received the UCLA Medal from Chancellor Gene Block for her lifetime achievements. The UCLA Medal is the university’s highest honor and was created to "honor those individuals who have made extraordinary and distinguished contributions to their professions, to higher education, to our society, and to the people of UCLA."[3]

In addition to earning twelve honorary doctorates, Robinson was awarded the Candace Award for Distinguished Service from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, the Equitable Life Black Achiever's Award and the Associated Black Charities Black History Makers Award.[2]

She currently resides on a 60-acre (240,000 m2) farm in Salem, Connecticut.[5]

Robinson was portrayed by Ruby Dee in the 1950 film The Jackie Robinson Story and by Nicole Beharie in the 2013 film 42.

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