Mr. Howard Brown, a lawyer, shared that his mantle of life has been that of perseverance and commitment. This determination allowed him to earn degrees from Morehouse College and the University of Connecticut. In his illustrious career, he has been a legal writer, an attorney, and a banking commissioner who has traveled to the White House as a consultant in the failed mortgage crisis.
Mr. Timothy Robinson, a sports executive, recounted his childhood in which his mother died when he was three years old. Although he didn’t meet his father until he was thirty-five years old, he vowed that he would be a great father himself. He said that even though it took him ten years to earn a degree because of lack of resources, he always knew that he would graduate from college. He inspired young people to be “visionaries”, seeing their future through their mind’s eye. During his expansive career, he has been to the White House four times. He told the students that they must be great at something because there’s always room at the top for the best. His parting memorable remarks were “Be excellent, not into”, which means that you have to go after your vision with everything that you have, not just dabble in it a little.
Mr. Otis Story, a healthcare executive, told the students that he entered healthcare because he experienced his father dying from diabetes and his youngest sister having many complications, including blindness, from diabetes. Because of this, he wanted to do something that would help mankind. While he didn’t know what path his life would take, listening to the music in his heart about helping sick people led him to his career. He also explained that he was one of twelve children who had very little growing up, but he went to and paid for his education at Cornell University and the University of Chicago. He admonished students to “spread their wings and touch other people’s lives.”
The program included a solo by Ezekiel Watson and a dance entitled, “Strong Enough” performed by the Carver School of the Arts Dance Department, choreographed by Mrs. Carla Wattley. Following a question and answer session, students and all participants had a private photo session with the History Makers. The program was sponsored by The New Schools at Carver Media Center and coordinated by Mrs. Kathryn Anderson-Weaver, Media Specialist.
written by Mrs. Linda Green, Media Specialist and Communications Ambassador at The New Schools at Carver