While Jackie Robinson was breaking racial barriers on the baseball diamond, one Bradley student used Robinson as an inspiration to break similar barriers in his own life.
As a part of Bradley’s yearlong Civil Rights theme, alumnus Doug Alligood ’56 spoke April 3 about Jackie Robinson’s influence on his life and his time on campus. Alligood was one of the first African Americans executives in the advertising industry after serving in the Air Force.
Following his speech was the showing of the 2013 movie “42” about Robinson’s courage and persistence in breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball.
Reflecting on his childhood, Alligood said “segregation was the way of life.” Yet Robinson’s hard work and perseverance in the Negro League inspired Alligood to pursue his dreams and break racial barricades, he said.
“What [Robinson] went through to make it work had a big influence on us trying to play ball,” Alligood said.
Alligood said he enrolled at Bradley in 1952 because the university had an Air Force ROTC program, an advertising program and the opportunity to play baseball.
But due to racial discrimination from the baseball coach, Alligood didn’t make the team.
While he said not making the baseball team was a “dark moment” for him, Alligood was still inspired to get involved. He played Bradley basketball and was involved in other campus activities, such as Air Force ROTC.
“Life isn’t always easy,” Alligood said. “Whatever hand your dealt, the good Lord handed you what he did.”
It was that perseverance that helped Alligood go on to hurdle obstacles in advertising, where he became one of the first African American executives.
He entered the industry at BBDO (Batten, Barton, Dursine & Osborn) decades ago. In the years that followed, Alligood moved to UniWorld Group and eventually became president there before returning to BBDO as the senior vice president of horizontal markets in New York, which is his current position.
While Alligood discussed his career, his attention never fell far from Robinson, the man who he hoped to emulate, as Robinson served his inspiration.
“You’re going to run into situations you can’t overcome or reverse, but you can give it your best,” Alligood said. “No one can defeat you except you.”
