This picture of me was taken June 10, 1984, on the front steps of the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. This was graduation day at Tuck so I was elated about having worked my way through the rigorous business program there. But more importantly, a few days later, my wife Carolyn and I would welcome our third child, Collin, into the world.
For some reason, the Marketing Department at Dartmouth decided to use me as their poster child for attracting more students of color to the business school. That year I was one of only three African Americans who graduated from Tuck. Maybe it was my closely cropped afro? My wife says it was my single digit body fat physique. Or, perhaps, that smile that conveyed, “Praise the Lord! I can’t believe I am getting out of here!” Who knows? We may never uncover the real reason but at this point, it does not matter. I graduated!
The Tuck experience changed my life in so many ways but most importantly, it was a natural pivot for me to integrate my engineering foundation with my recently nurtured business and wealth creation ambitions.
God, as always, has been good!
