Jack Roosevelt Robinson or "Jackie" as he is more commonly known was born January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. Jackie was the youngest of five kids: Edgar, Frank, Mack and Willa Mae, his one sister. All five of the kids were natural athletes who were good at a variety sports. Jackie's father, Jerry Robinson, left the family six months after Jackie was born, leaving Jackie's mother, Mallie Robinson, to take care of the five children. Jerry said he couldn't stand the "going nowhere life" and promised he would help provide for the family when he moved to Texas. However, Jerry did not keep his promise and the Robinsons never heard from him again. The Robinsons moved to California when Jackie was only sixteen months old. They moved there because Mallie's brother told her in letter that in California education was not segregated. So the Robinsons left for California to get the kids a good education. Jackie and his whole family dealt with terrible racism from the white families in his neighborhood, but the Robinsons stood their ground. The family was very poor and had to deal with poverty. Sometimes they had to miss a meal during the day or have sugar and bread to eat. Jackie was part of the Pepper Street Gang that committed crimes including various robberies and vandalism. He and the gang got into trouble with the police. Jackie later quit the Pepper Street Gang since his mind was on sports. In high school he excelled in not only baseball but also football, basketball, and track. He even set a junior high world record with a spectacular broad jump of twenty-five feet six and a half inches. In college, which he attended at UCLA, he earned letters in four different sports. He was the rave of all college sports since he was probably the best at every sport that he played. However, Jackie could not continue his career in sports since all the professional sports wouldn't allow blacks. Jackie went into the army at the beginning of World War II to be a soldier for the United States army. Several of the blacks in the army including Jackie weren't allowed to become officers even though there was no law banning it. He teamed up with Joe Louis and together they contacted the government and before long there were several black officers. Jackie became a lieutenant but he never went into combat.