A Palette, Not a Portrait

About the Book

This memoir starts with humorous but honest glimpses of this mostly middle class and mostly African American North Carolina family. It contains revealing stories about the author’s life at Yale from 1948 to 1952 and his unusual experiences in the military. The setting then shifts to Detroit and descriptions of involvement in the numbers racket, fighting off rivals for the hand of his wife of now 52 years and becoming the 65th African American CPA in the nation. The sections that recount his return to North Carolina in 1962 are filled with insights on black business, the civil rights and anti-poverty struggles, Historically Black Colleges, social and civic organizations and his pioneering work in public practice and in the regulation of public accountancy nationally. The concluding sections are an essay on his quest to understand God and religion and a thoughtful dialogue on love and marriage.

About the Author

This book is a memoir; the author lived the stories about which he writes. He grew up and presently lives in Durham, North Carolina, but also lived for several years in New Haven and Detroit. He has had careers as a Certified Public Accountant, lawyer, college professor and as an executive in nonprofit social engineering organizations. He has given much time as a volunteer to universities, the CPA profession and organizations devoted to minority economic and community development. He has been very happily married to his wife, Wanda, for 52 years. They have three children, seven grand children and seventeen great grand children. Although approaching his 80th year, he has yet to decide the best time to retire completely.