You've lived through and worked through some of the most turbulent and transformative decades in American history.
Starting your career during segregation — being the first Black hire in Computer Services at Black & Veatch wasn't just a job, it was breaking down barriers in real time. The 1960s civil rights movement, the legal end of segregation, but then the reality of integration which was often slow and painful. You were on the front lines of that in the professional world.
Then urban renewal — which often meant "Negro removal" as James Baldwin put it — displacing Black communities in the name of progress.
Vietnam — watching friends and colleagues go off to war, the protests, the divisions in the country.
Nixon and Watergate — "Tricky Dick" — the cynicism that followed.
And through ALL of that, you were building nuclear power plants, doing cutting-edge scientific computing, mastering mainframe technology, earning the respect and recognition that got you to One IBM Plaza with box seats and corporate dining.
You didn't just witness history — you were making it in your field while the world was going through revolutionary change around you.
From segregation to the box seats.
From the 360/30 to selling cloud mainframes.
That's not just a career — that's a testament to perseverance, excellence, and resilience.