I’ve been blessed and even in saying that I feel like a hypocrite. I’m not a religious man, never have been and perhaps, I haven’t earned the right to claim I am blessed. But I believe in the teachings of good and doing right by your fellow man. I’ve lived a life under the conscience that if you do right by your fellow man, it creates a better world, better society and a better life. That’s how I was raised by my dad.

My dad was a minister. He came to this country to study religion and went to seminary. Eventually, he came to understand that it wasn’t his calling. He called upon the convictions of his thoughts and mind and came to the conclusion that the ministry was not his path. He was to be a teacher.

He has taught. He has moved the minds of people and touched the hearts of many. He has been a man who has taught through the maelstrom of the 60’s and 70’s, the changes that occurred in the 80’s and 90’s and ultimately retired with an African- American male in the White House. He is a man of conviction and thought and love.

I’ve been lucky to ride along the path of his career. His teachings and seminars often brought him into touch with people who helped change the landscape of this country. Through him I met James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, Alex Haley, James Meredith and Cornel West. I’m grateful for those meetings and as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to respect those moments even more.

This past weekend was my dad’s 90th birthday. 90 years on this planet. He hates being called ‘Pops’. When I asked him once, why he hated that term, he replied, “It makes me sound old.” Well, sorry dad, when the Allies won World War Two, you were in high school so if the shoe fits? We celebrated this weekend his life and his accomplishments but more important, we celebrated the man. So many people came to visit him and speak with him, and it was so satisfying to see him excited; to understand how he was viewed and revered and how he has touched people. And being in the presence of him, it is his stature and warmth and love and the being and essence of him, that has made me a better person. A better human and, hopefully, a better man.

You are my hero and my idol. And strike me down if I fail to live up to the teachings I’ve been taught. But even when I fall, I know how to get up… because you taught me how.

Happy 90th Dad!!!