Promises to Keep: List 2

by Sharon Robinson
Sharon Robinson, daughter of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, shares memories of and insights about her father.

This list covers "A Determined Pair"–"Why My Father?"

Here are links to our lists for the book: List 1, List 2, List 3
20 words 905 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. exploit
    a notable achievement
    His exploits on the football field added to the legend. The Pasadena Elks gave Dad a gold football and named him Most Valuable Player.
  2. commute
    travel back and forth regularly, as between work and home
    He commuted by car from Pasadena to UCLA, where he once again lettered in four sports.
  3. engaging
    attracting or delighting
    She liked his warm, engaging smile, and the fact that he was confident without being cocky.
  4. cocky
    overly self-confident or self-assertive
    She liked his warm, engaging smile, and the fact that he was confident without being cocky.
  5. exclusion
    the state of being shut out
    As African Americans protested against their exclusion from the growing defense industry, Dad proposed to my mom.
  6. humiliation
    state of disgrace or loss of self-respect
    Neither Dad’s rank of second lieutenant nor his college athletic celebrity protected him against the humiliation of serving in a segregated army in the Deep South.
  7. morale
    a state of individual psychological well-being
    Dad served as a morale officer, yet could do nothing about the fact that the baseball team was segregated, whereas the football team was not.
  8. stint
    an unbroken period of time during which you do something
    Toward the end of his stint in the armed forces, my father faced Jim Crow head on.
  9. discharge
    release from military service
    On November 28, 1944, Dad was honorably discharged from the army.
  10. liberal
    showing or characterized by broad-mindedness
    Although my dad knew that the black press, some liberal sportswriters, and a few politicians were fighting for an end to Jim Crow baseball, he had little faith that it would happen in his lifetime.
  11. abolish
    do away with
    The black veterans returning from World War II were more determined than ever to abolish segregation.
  12. seasoned
    rendered competent through trial and experience
    During World War II, he replaced seasoned ballplayers who were off fighting in Europe with boys as young as 15.
  13. integrated
    designated as available to all races or groups
    When Rickey first proposed integrated baseball, the commissioner of baseball at the time, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, was firmly against it.
  14. tempt
    dispose, incline, or entice to
    Rickey knew that the talent pool in the Negro Leagues was too tempting for a smart businessman to ignore.
  15. monologue
    a long utterance by one person
    Rickey jumped into a monologue where he quickly shifted roles from that of a racist fan to a spiteful teammate.
  16. spiteful
    showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt
    Rickey jumped into a monologue where he quickly shifted roles from that of a racist fan to a spiteful teammate.
  17. avenge
    take action in return for a perceived wrong
    It was a chance to avenge the racism of his boyhood, to help right injustice.
  18. steadfast
    marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
    He had the support of a loving woman and a steadfast mother.
  19. self-control
    the trait of resolutely restraining your own behavior
    He knew that Dad had both the self-control and the courage to succeed.
  20. noble
    having high or elevated character
    Branch Rickey knew he’d chosen the right man. He knew that Dad had both the self-control and the courage to succeed. He and my father shook hands on a verbal agreement. “The Noble Experiment” began.
Created on Tue Nov 10 20:43:11 EST 2020 (updated Mon May 02 16:55:40 EDT 2022)

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