James H. Robinson

This leader and visionary grew up in the poor area of Knoxville known as "The Bottoms." As a child he collected laundry from the more affluent for his mother to wash. At age ten, Robinson moved with his family to Cleveland, Ohio. He completed high school and enrolled in Western Reserve University. Later, he enrolled at Lincoln University, a historically black university in Pennsylvania. Graduating as valedictorian in 1933, he became an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church and thereafter dedicated his life to social justice and mutual understanding, both in the United States and abroad. Continued In 1958, he founded Operation Crossroads Africa, credited by President John F. Kennedy as the progenitor of the Peace Corps. In 1962, he served as vice president of the Peace Corps and joined the State Department's Advisory Council on African Affairs. His speeches in Canada sparked the formation of Canadian Crossroads International. His efforts enabled thousands of students and other volunteers to work in countries in Africa and throughout the world.