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2 books match the query '1901-1988'

cover of Chronicles Of Faith: The Autobiography of Frederick D. Patterson

Chronicles Of Faith

The Autobiography of Frederick D. Patterson

Frederick D. Patterson, edited by Martia Graham Goodson

University of Alabama Press, 1991

From Tuskegee to the United Negro College Fund, one man's legacy changed American education.

Chronicles of Faith: The Autobiography of Frederick D. Patterson, edited by Martia Graham Goodson, presents the remarkable life story of one of the most influential educators and institutional leaders in twentieth-century America. Based on Patterson's personal recollections, the autobiography traces his journey from a childhood marked by adversity to a distinguished career as a veterinarian, educator, college president, and visionary advocate for higher education.

Best known as president of Tuskegee Institute and founder of the United Negro College Fund, Patterson played a pivotal role in expanding educational opportunities for African Americans during an era of segregation and limited resources. The narrative chronicles his leadership in strengthening historically Black colleges and universities, promoting professional education, and developing innovative fundraising models that transformed the future of Black higher education.

Interwoven with accounts of personal determination, faith, and public service, the book offers valuable insight into the challenges and achievements that shaped American educational history. Patterson's story is both an inspiring autobiography and an important historical document, revealing the vision and perseverance required to create lasting institutional change. Essential for understanding the evolution of higher education in the United States, this volume will be especially valuable to students, scholars, educators, historians, and readers interested in African American leadership, HBCUs, philanthropy, and social progress.

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cover of Stuart Symington: A Life

Stuart Symington

A Life

James C. Olson

University of Missouri Press, 2003

Stuart Symington is the first full-length biography of one of Missouri’s most influential and effective twentieth-century political leaders. It tells the story of a remarkable man whose adult life was spent at or near the center of power in America, a man who was talented and ambitious, yet maintained a realistic touch that enabled him to connect with ordinary people.
Symington was the first secretary of the air force and a four-term senator from Missouri. Prior to his long governmental career, he was a successful businessman in New York and St. Louis, developing a national reputation as a genius who could convert failing businesses to profitability. His most notable success was with Emerson Electric Company of St. Louis, which during World War II he turned into a large manufacturer of movable gun turrets for bombers.
Known as “Harry Truman’s Trouble Shooter,” Symington was unanimously confirmed by the Senate for six major presidential appointments—a record. As assistant secretary of war for air, he represented the War Department in negotiations leading to the National Security Act of 1947, which unified the armed services into a single national military establishment under the secretary of defense. During his tenure as secretary of the air force, he steered that organization through a series of crises, including racial integration, as it developed into an independent entity within the Defense Department. Among his other administrative positions, he served as surplus property administrator, breaking up the aluminum monopoly; director of the National Security Resources Board, where he helped develop mobilization strategy for the Korean War; and director of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, where he reformed a badly managed operation.
Highlights of his long Senate career include his confrontation with Joseph McCarthy during the Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954; his conflict with President Eisenhower over the defense budget; his long, agonizing struggle over Vietnam as he changed from a leading hawk to a leading dove; and his role in uncovering information leading to congressional articles of impeachment against President Nixon. He was a serious candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in 1960, and for a time appeared to be Kennedy’s choice for vice president.
Well written and exhaustively researched, Stuart Symington: A Life provides a comprehensive portrait of Symington and his exceptional career, shedding new light on presidential administrations from Truman to Nixon, the Department of Defense, the Korean War, and Vietnam. The book also contributes to an understanding of the U. S. Senate, the political history of Missouri, and the relationship between business and government during and immediately after World War II.
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