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More Spurs NewsSpurs LinksIn 1991, Robinson promised Darden and 92 other fifth-graders at Gates Elementary School $2,000 scholarships if they graduated from high school. "A lot of people didn't make it past middle school," Darden said. "As the years went by, the numbers got smaller and smaller. Some people got killed. Some went to jail. Some dropped out." Darden estimates that one-third of the original fifth-grade class graduated with him in 1998. He made it through not because of football (he was a wide receiver) or track (he was a sprinter). He made it through because teachers, neighbors and relatives reminded him of Robinson's pledge week after week, month after month for seven years. Because once his mother heard of the promise, she refused to let her son fail. "She told me she could make zero contribution toward college," Darden said. "She always worked at least two jobs, sometimes three. |
