Paul Leroy Bustill Robeson was so remarkably gifted, physically and mentally, that development of any one of his talents would have been sufficient to bring him fame.

He was an athlete, orator, and linguist, as well as one of the world's foremost singers and actors. In America, England , Germany, Austria, France, and Russia his audiences filled the largest concert halls to overflowing.

Born April 9, 1898 at Princeton, New Jersey, the youngest son of a minister who had been a slave, Robeson showed unusual intellectual brilliance from his earliest years. At Rutgers College ... he was an honor student throughout his four years of study, his grades never averaging less than 95. Every year he received the highest prizes for oratory; and in his junior year he received the Phi Beta Kappa key, and exceptional distinction for a student.

On the athletic field he was equally capable. In the four sports—football, baseball, track, and basketball—he excelled, being a four-letter man and winner of the coveted "R." He was the most sought-after singer in college.

When he entered Rutgers at the age of seventeen his great ambition was to play on the varsity football team. Accordingly, one September morning he appeared on the field with the scrub team against the varsity. Those scrubs who showed greater possibilities than the varsity players would be given the places of the later, provided they survived the punishment they received from the varsity members, who fought to preserve their spots.

There had never been a Black player on Rutgers team, and the players sought to maintain this tradition. In the game they apparently concentrated their efforts on Robeson. When the dust from the game settled he lay on the field with two broken ribs, a sprained arm, and a broken nose; then, whether accidentally of from spite, someone stepped on his hand with spiked shoes, gouging out a fingernail by the root.

Robeson felt the display of color prejudice even more than the physical injuries. It showed him clearlythat he was not wanted because he was Black. But undaunted, he decided that he would make them change their minds.

With his arm in a sling he watched the game day after day, studying every detail of it, then he volunteered again.

Seeing that his injuries were not yet healed, the coach advised him to wait, warning him that it would be his last chance. But Robeson was so determined that the coach told him to go out on the field.

In this second encounter Robeson showed that he could be rough too. When the smoke of the battle cleared this time six of the varsity eleven were carried off the field, thanks largely to Robeson's handling of them. Thereafter he became one of the most popular students on the team and in college.

In 1923, Robeson won a law degree from Columbia University, financing his schooling by playing professional football. While at Columbia, Robeson was seen by Eugene O'Neill in an amateur play. After making his professional debut in Taboo (1922), Robeson then appeared in O'Neill's All God's Chillun Got Wings, and Emperor Jones.

Called upon to whistle in the later play, Robeson sang instead, and his voice met with instant acclaim. In 1925, he made his concert debut with a highly successful program of all-Negro music. He went on to such stage successes as Show Boat; Porgy, and Othello. (when he did Othello in 1943 in New York, his ovation was called "one of the most prolonged and wildest ... in the history of the New York theater.")

A world traveler in the Soviet Union, Asia, and Europe, Robeson spoke several languages including Chinese, Russian, Gaelic, and Spanish.

Robeson's political affiliations have at times tended to attract even more publicity that his artistic career. In 1950, for instance, he was denied a passport after refusing to sign an affidavit as to whether or not he had ever belonged to the Communist Party. [Although he did not, this was a matter of principle to him.] Eight years later, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the refusal to sign such an affidavit was not valid grounds for denial of a passport. Roberson subsequently settled in London, making a number of trips to the continent (and to the U.S.S.R. as well) before returning to the United States in 1963.

Robeson's health had begun to fade in the early sixties before his return the United States. His health went on a slow decline. On December 13, 1965 Eslanda (Essie) Robeson, Paul's wife of 44 years, succumbed after an intermittent illness. Paul then moved in with his sister and his son took over his affairs. This lasted for several years, until after a series of strokes. Paul Robeson died on January 23, 1976.