February 10, 1946
Jackie Robinson & Rachel Anetta Isum

The Robinsons

Major League baseball player, Jackie Robinson met his future wife Rachel Anetta Isumduring his senior year at UCLA.

Isum, just a freshmen at the college, described her new beau as the “Big Man on campus” and “extremely handsome, with a wonderful smile.”

That smile must have won her over because after four years of dating the two married after Robinson was invited to join the the Minor Leagues as a player for the Brooklyn Dodgers. As the first African-American man to join the Major Leagues, Robinson had to have strength and determination as he faced many challenges.

He certainly had a lot to be proud of but when asked about his proudest moments, Mrs. Robinson said, “I think I would say there were many proud moments in his lifetime, beginning with the birth of his children. We had always wanted a family, had learned to cherish family life from our own childhood, and so each birth brought great joy.”

The two were married until Jackie’s death in 1971. Since then Mrs. Robinson founded The Jackie Robinson Foundation, which has given scholarships to over 1200 students since its inception.

For more information on The Jackie Robinson Foundation go to http://www.jackierobinson.org/.

Want to know more about the couple? Check out Mrs. Robinson’s book on her husband: Jackie Robinson, An Intimate Portrayal.