Presentation of The UCLA Medal to Rachel Robinson
May 9, 2009
Dickson Court North, UCLA

The UCLA Medal, the university's highest honor, was presented to Rachel A. Robinson ’42 recognizing her extraordinary and distinguished contributions to higher education, to our society, and to the UCLA community. A part of the larger UCLA Day celebration, the ceremony was attended by over 500 alumni, friends and family of Ms. Robinson, including Chancellor Gene D. Block, Athletics Director Dan Guerro, and Kareem Adbul-Jabbar.

To honor the values and cement the legacy of her husband, who famously broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1947 as a player with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Ms. Robinson founded the Jackie Robinson Foundation a year after his death. To date, more than 1,300 minority students have graduated from colleges and universities across the country. Supported by more than $18 million in scholarships from the foundation, another 300 Jackie Robinson Scholars are in the college pipeline, including 18 attending UCLA.

Please click here for more information about The UCLA Medal.