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Contact: Justin Harmon (609) 258-5732
Date: January 8, 1997


Rachel Robinson to Speak at King Day Ceremony


PRINCETON, N.J. -- Rachel Robinson, widow of baseball great Jackie Robinson and founder of the Jackie Robinson Foundation, will be the featured speaker at the Princeton University's annual commemoration of Martin Luther King Day on Monday, January 20, starting at 1:30 p.m. in Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall.

Fifty years ago when Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, he became the first African American to break the major league baseball color barrier. Named most valuable player of the National League in 1949, he went on to become, in 1962, the first African American elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Jackie Robinson Foundation, a privately funded not-for-profit organization, was established by his widow in 1973, the year after his death. Foremost among the foundation's activities is the Education and Leadership Development Program, which provides grants for college to approximately 130 top minority high school graduates a year. Jackie Robinson Scholars, of which there are currently three at Princeton, are expected both to achieve academically and to engage in significant community service efforts. They are supported by an extensive volunteer network of mentoring and job placement assistance.

For its annual essay and poster contest in honor of Martin Luther King Day, Princeton asked grade school and secondary school students to examine the role of sports in improving race relations, expanding opportunity and helping to advance the goals of both King and Robinson.

Contest winners will be announced and monetary prizes awarded at the January 20 ceremony, which will also include vocal selections by Pam Warrick Smith. The ceremony is open to the public.

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