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Jackie and Rachel Isum married in 1946, six years after their first meeting and shortly after he signed his historic contract with the Dodgers. It was important that Jackie was a married man. Rickey did not want any public doubt of Jackie's stability or to feed the fears of white men that Jackie was a potential threat for the affections of white women. Rachel earned a nursing degree at UCLA, but while Jackie played for the Dodgers she was first and foremost, a devoted mother and supportive wife. When Jackie retired from baseball, and with the children in school, she returned to school and earned a masters degree in nursing from New York University. She later taught at Yale University's School of Nursing.
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Their first child, Jackie Jr was born in 1946, their only daughter Sharon was born in 1950, and their third child, David, in 1952. The pressures of living and growing up the public eye and in the shadows of a historic legend was difficult for the Robinson children. It had a particularly negative impact on Jackie Jr. as his every move was compared to his famous namesake. He had academic difficulties in school and grew up rebelling against all his father represented, while his brother and sister excelled academically. In 1964 Jackie Jr volunteered for the army and was shipped out to face combat in Vietnam. In 1967 he returned physically wounded, emotionally tortured and hooked on drugs--alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and heroine. With the support of his family he was able to control his addiction and eventually help other addicts. |
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