Richard E. Robinson Biography

“The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it (James Bryce). If measured by the rule of the quote, The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow has tremendous worth. Randy Pausch, a professor dying from pancreatic cancer, gave his last lecture titled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” at Carnegie Mellon in 2007. In the book, he reflects upon the lessons of his life experiences mentioned in the lecture. The lessons addressed ways to lead a fulfilled life. At first, his experiences seemed to be entertaining stories from his past, but as he progressed through each chapter, I began to realize the mentoring quality of the stories. From the lessons, I carried away invaluable advice. While it would be difficult to visit and elaborate upon every lesson, there were three that were most memorable to me: the importance of obstacles in our life, how honesty is a better character builder than false praise, and the uselessness of complaining.

On February 19, 1940 Smokey Robinson was born. Save for founder Berry Gordy, no one has been more connected with the recording empire in Detroit known as Motown than the great William “Smokey” Robinson. First he leads the Miracles singing Group then he did other things such as being a producing at Motown, writing sons for them, he also became very close to Gordy you can say he was his right hand man. Smokey Miracles were signed second in Gordy’s management and production company. Motown was just a big old family and everyone knows family have affairs. The Primettes best known as the Supremes because they had later changed their name. They ended up auditioning at Motown because they knew Diana Ross she was a neighbor of Robinson’s. Between 1960 and 1971 the Miracles was really popping they scored twenty-seven pop soul hits with their leader Smokey Robinson songs such as “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” “Mickey’s Monkey,” “Going to a Go-Go” and “I Second That Emotion”.

George Washington Carver remembers his childhood as a "constant battle between life and death" (Rogers & Raymond, 1992). Carver was born in an era when the Civil War was near an end. When George was young, his mother was kidnapped by a band of men. Because of this, George W. Carver was raised by his

Two children named Wes Moore both dealt with “difficult childhoods” in Baltimore, states the back cover of The Other Wes Moore. From fatherless homes to trouble with the police, the Moores undoubtedly dealt with many struggles as they grew into adulthood. However, exactly what factor determined how one Wes Moore would go on to becoming a veteran and a business leader as well as venturing to places as the White House and Oxford, while the other Wes Moore spends the rest of his life in prison? What the two Wes Moores valued throughout their lives impacted their futures. This is because personal values are the most important factors in determining success or failure, as what a person treasures determine what decisions

Ch. 5; What factors in Robinson’s background and character made him the best choice to carry out Rickey’s revolution?

Though Robinson’s hard work, dedication, and passion he made history, and achieved something nobody else can say they

One of the most widely watched trials in Maycomb history ended Tuesday December 9th when a jury found Tom Robinson, 25, guilty of raping Mayella Violet Ewell, 19, daughter of Robert Ewell. The guilty verdict hinged on the testimony of Robert Ewell, who claimed to have seen the crime. Tom Robinson’s Attorney, Atticus Finch put up a strong defense, but was unsuccessful in convincing the jury of twelve white Maycomb county residents that Robinson, a black man, was innocent. Finch has stated that he was disappointed in the outcome, but will appeal the verdict. The prosecutor for the state, Horace Gilmer said “he felt Robinson had gotten what he deserved.” Robinson was taken into custody following the verdict. Any appeals will take several

Robinson was quoted saying, “America offers many opportunities to those who work hard and try diligently to succeed.” Here is another example of my mother instilling in me similar values. She would often say, “If you work hard and have determination, you can be successful at whatever you put your mind to.” Robinson was truly an image of determination. The Alpha Phi Alpha member went through so much discrimination, racism, and adversity, but his attitude would remain steady, and he would remain determined. When he first started out as a coach at the age of 22, he barely had any help. Robinson taught his players offense, as well as defense, mowed the football field, and made his players sandwiches because many towns in the south would not serve black people. Although I cannot nearly relate to the struggles and hardships that Robinson went through, I feel that I can relate to him because of his determination to succeed and the values that were instilled in him. I feel that I too am capable of having such strong

The author portrays the message and theme of persistence, resilience, and grit throughout the entire story. We understand

Robinson’s performance on the field was a primary demonstration of African Americans athletic ability and ability to persevere (McDaniels). Abbie Weinberg, researcher for The Jackie Robinson Educational Archives, once

In the year of 1919 January the 31st a man was born who would later change history in America. Using his athletic prowess in sports to challenge the societal norms and make way for other forward thinking people as himself. This man’s name was Jack Roosevelt Robinson born in Cairo, Georgia the youngest of five siblings. His parents came from humble backgrounds, Sharecroppers being the only black family on the block. Being raised by a single mother of five Jackie encountered a lot of prejudice which only made his family bond strengthen which he would need for what was to come later in his historic life.

Fr. Gregory quotes Katheleen and numerous others in his book to lead the reader towards his overall message. This particular quote speaks volumes to the idea of holding true to a goal no matter what stands in the way. Fr. Gregory states, “Resilience is born by grounding yourself to loveliness, hitting notes you thought were way out of range” (Boyle 94). In the section Fr. Greg emphasizes the importance of familiarizing oneself with the environment in order to have an easier time reaching a goal. Earlier in the book, Fr. Greg talks about a homie named Looney. Looney has had a rough life to say the least, he was born poor, into gangs, and spends most of his days in juvenile detention facilities. Besides all of his faults, Looney doesn’t give up, he made the decision to become a better man and has stuck to it. One day Looney went into Fr. Gregs office and showed him his grades. His grades were well below average, nevertheless Fr. Greg was overjoyed and tells him how great he’s doing, explaining that if he keeps pushing himself one day he too can call himself a success. This idea of never giving up is not only true in one place. It can be used all throughout the world in a number of different

In elementary we are constantly encouraged to dream big and achieve even higher. We are expected to choose any occupation and follow its clear pathway to success. Nonetheless the reality of the story is that getting there is most often if not always difficult. As children we are not told of the obstacles we will soon encounter and the disappoint we will discover along the way. Only too late do we realize that the pathway to success will be a lonely and at times conflicting one. Richard Rodriguez an American writer discusses in his autobiography, The Achievement of Desire the sacrifices and lost he endured in the process of becoming a scholarship boy. Rodriguez's feelings of nostalgia at the end of his journey to success allowed him to see what he had so greatly attempted to ignore. The fact that education had

Political writer Eugene Robinson writes an article for the PostPartisan blog describing the Republican parties’ views on the religious freedom of the Islam religion. Several candidates have expressed their views on the current issue either agreeing or disagreeing with the topic. The Islam faith is one of the largest religions in the world, and today, the issue on whether or not to trust people of this faith has been a huge problem, especially with the Republican party. Although Eugene Robinson makes excellent points in his article, I believe that he has made a few unfair judgments.

His skilled laboring values influenced my father to work with his hands as a hobby, not as a vocation. My father seems to possess both the values of education and skilled work. On the other hand, my mother’s parents did not encourage higher education. My mother stated, “In the 1950’s and 60’s, women were not expected to attend college”. Although this was a strong value for society at that time, my mother encouraged education on her children. My mother’s talent in sewing and entrepreneurship from the family-owned hardware store influenced her to start a wedding apparel business.