"Caroline Robinson Jones" (February 15,1942-June 28, 2001)

She was the first of ten children born to Ernest and Mattie Robinson.As she grew up,she read widely.Caroline was an entrepreneur early on;to earn money,Caroline sold magazine subscriptions,greetings cards,potholders,and cosmetics.She also picked berries during summer months.Very enterprising, suggesting an interest in business,Caroline was determined to become an orthopedic surgeon.After graduating from high school in 1959,when she was just seventeen years old,she entered the University of Michigan as a premed student and with the support of a scholarship.Caroline peformed well in her courses but reconsidered her plan for medicine after fainting at the sight of a dead cat on dissection table in an anatomy class.By the end of her second year,she changed to a dual degree program-science and English.Caroline graduated in 1963 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.Realizing that employment opportunities were limited,she enhanced her career options by earning teaching credentials.While attending a career fair on campus,she met a representative from J.Walter Thompson advertising firm in New York City,and her career in advertising would begin to take shape the next year.In 1964,Caroline moved to New York and joined Thompson in a beginning position as secretary.She volunterred for extra work in the firm and learned as much as she could about the business and advertising;her ambitions led to a promotion as secretary for a top creative director-J.Walter Thompson who would become her mentor.Caroline was also given a job as an interviewer in the consumer research department and eventually joined a copywriting team at the agency,becoming the first African-American to hold the post.She realized also that assertiveness and aggressiveness would get her ahead.Caroline forged ahead,studying successful advertising campaigns,examining their color,design, and word count;as a result,she knew the sdvertising business inside out.Her new knowledge would serve her well.