While at Tech, he was a championship football player; now he’s a champion at lifting up the downtrodden, through three non-profit organizations.
Title: founder of Brighter Futures, Inc.
Hometown: born in Shreveport; raised in Bossier City
Now resides in: Norton Shores, MI
Degree: Bachelor of Science, health and physical education, 1975
What brought me to Tech: My best friend, Jerry W. Davis.
How I chose my career: My desire to assist human beings to have a better quality of life.
What inspired me to create Brighter Futures, Inc.: I was inspired to create Brighter Futures because my wife Sweettie (also a Tech alum) and I were appalled with the selfishness of far too many people and the lack of non-governmental outlets to assist with the development of "life skills,” enhanced education and an overall sense of belonging in this world. We did that by sharing with individuals that one need not be the "big man/woman" on campus to be of significance and to be an asset to himself or herself, family and community.
How I partnered with Amer-I-Can, the program run by the NFL’s Jim Brown: I have always been impressed with Jim Brown as a human rights activist (football was relative and is just a game [to him]) who understood the need to assist individuals that were hurting and had lost purpose in life and confidence in themselves. His Amer-I-Can Program addresses all of the above and creates avenues for both personal and professional improvement.
My greatest accomplishment prior to Brighter Futures: My greatest moment of accomplishment with the Rosa & Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development and the Urban League has mirrored my life’s work of assisting an untold number of young men and women in their endeavors to succeed in life as progressive, viable citizens of the U.S. and understanding that we are a collective group of Americans that should support and assist one another in making this a great America, not a divided America.
Where I see myself in five years: I see myself forging strongly ahead to assist individuals in creating and sustaining a better quality of life for themselves and the lives of those they touch.
My best memories at Tech: 1. My personal growth; fighting through (perseverance) the perceived and real acts of racism that existed whether subtle, blatant or misconstrued. 2. Being a member of the 1973 Football National Championship team. 3. Meeting Fred Dean, the first Techster that I met; although he had his challenges, he was not only competitive; he was always the same cordial, outgoing person each time you encountered him. 4. Graduating. 5. Meeting my wife.
My advice for incoming freshmen: My best advice is to focus, focus, focus. Partying is really not that big of a deal; secure your future, make positive friends, "search and re-search" yourself to find out exactly who you are and what you want for YOU. Understand that your parents only want the best for you, and that they are really not as "out to lunch" as you might think. Please realize that when the crowd stops cheering, no one will be in the room with you; it will be only you and the one you serve. Be able to look yourself in your "mental face" and know that you did what you came to college to do.
