Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame

Books

THE BLIDE SIDE

Evolution of a Game

By Michael Lewis

The Olympian: An American Triumph

By Craig T. Williams

FORGOTTEN HERO:

THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN GOLD MEDALIST

“I dare greatly, and I shall live as no ordinary man bound by a game of chance.”

–Dr. John Baxter Taylor, Jr.

Muhammad Ali. Jackie Robinson. Dr. John Baxter Taylor, Jr. The first two names need no introduction. The latter, Dr. Taylor, may not have been a three-time World Heavyweight Champion or dominate in six World Series, but his accomplishments are stunning: Dr. Taylor was the first African American to win an Olympic Gold medal. Dr. Taylor is little known; his obscurity perpetuated further by the fact that the great Olympian Jesse Owens is often accredited with Dr. Taylor’s landmark Olympic achievement.

In The Olympian: An American Triumph, author Craig T. Williams reintroduces Dr. Taylor’s story from standout talent at his high school in Philadelphia to winning Olympic Gold at the 1908 games in London, some 50 years after the abolishment of slavery in the States. A work of historical fiction, Williams took what little facts remained about Dr. Taylor’s life to unearth a forgotten hero, one who left a deep footprint on the history of sports and was a key figure in fueling progress at a time of great racial divide.

“In the Progressive Era, African Americans were no longer slaves but, in many ways, they were not truly free. This circumstance provided an opportunity for African Americans to dream big and test the boundaries of what freedom meant for them,” says Williams. “Dr. Taylor was an individual who was never content to listen to others’ opinions of his abilities – not as an athlete, a student, or as a man.”

What may be even less known about Dr. Taylor is his heroics off the field, where he triumphed over obstacles of inequality as a graduate of the prestigious University of Pennsylvania. He also became a member of the Sigma Pi Phi fraternity, the first African American professional organization in the country.

“Dr. Taylor’s Olympic achievement is only the tip of the iceberg that makes him a fascinating and heroic figure,” informs Williams. “It is his ability to transcend the culture of the times in his non-athletic life, as a doctor of veterinary medicine, and the choices that he made in spite of harsh realities that make him a hero.”

Weaving a forgotten piece of U.S. history into the greater tapestry of American myth, themes in The Olympian include:

• From standout student-athlete to Olympic Gold Medalist to doctor of veterinary medicine – an in-depth look at the makings of an American hero

• A country in transition – after Emancipation but before the Civil Rights Movement, the Progressive Era provided an opportunity for African Americans to test the boundary of what freedom meant for them, and more specifically …

• A man who did just that, who cared little for the limitations that were set for him and faced adversity head-on

   

“His perseverance and belief in the human spirit paved the way for future generations of heroes, and retains the power to inspire us today,” adds Williams.

A successful entrepreneur with ventures in several industries, New Jersey native Craig. T Williams’ true passion is storytelling, unearthing stories of little known heroes from diverse backgrounds. His signature approach blends historical figures within a mythological framework, changing they way one looks at past and present heroes. The Olympian is Williams’ first novel. Vintage World is a multimedia art and entertainment company established to commemorate stories of forgotten heroes. He currently resides in the Philadelphia area with his wife, Andrea, and their daughter, Alexa.

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For more information and to purchase the book, please visit www.theolympian.net and www.amazon.com. Publisher: iUniverse

REVIEW COPIES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

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New Book Release: Dan McLaurin’s Memoir, “32 Minutes of Greatness:Special Edition”

Order online here.

Dan McLaurin’s “32 Minutes of Greatness” is true North Carolina basketball history revealed.

If you are a basketball-history buff, or think you are, you surely know everything about recent basketball wizards of our time: Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and many others. All these iconic figures, and others, enjoyed illustrious secondary school, and even college careers. However, you likely are not familiar with those who were burning up hallowed high-school hoop-haven hardwood long before these ‘hoopsters’ were in Nikes.

At  Durham, North Carolina’s all-black, Hillside High School, the late, great Coach Carl L. Easterling, instituted a methodolgy and approach to the game of basketball that laid the groundwork for an offense never before seen. His teams employed blinding speed and stamina, coupled with fierce defense that teams dreaded confronting. This all took place in the era of “Jim Crow,” and segregation. Credit for such success was not freely given but truth, like the mythical ‘Phoenix,’ always rises.

During his coaching career, Easterling-coached teams won 80% of their basketball games. In 1965, he coached Hillside’s boy’s 1965 4-A State Basketball championship team. Coach Easterling’s innovative style of play changed the game; he was the architect of the famed, “Pony Express” team. His team owns several scoring records including the highest scoring average in North Carolina’s basketball history.

McLaurin’s “32 Minutes of Greatness” tells the story in candid, first-hand language only possible because he was there. In 1966, the last year of segregated Hillside, McLaurin’s team set records that survive to this day.

In this inspiring, 148 page, Falcon Creek Publishing Company, softcover followup to his first book: “32 Minutes of Greatness: The Untold Story,” McLaurin scores a full-court , ‘nothing but net’ shot. The words and pictures tell you as much as can be told. However, only those who were there, can know what it was like: the deafening cheers; the non-stop assault; the fierce gaze of a team in full stride; the looks of despair etched on the faces of opponents, and the final buzzer that glowed with a final score that was seldom in doubt.

Order online here.

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New Book Release: He Came from Gouldtown, by Harold Gould with Bob Allen

Pitcher with the Philadelphia Stars of the Negro Leagues, Harold Gould has just published an autobiography of his life, with special emphasis on his years as a pitcher during the Jim Crow years of America’s pastime.

Born and raised in his native Gouldtown, New Jersey, Harold Gould had been scouted by and became an ace pitcher for the Philadelphia Stars in the latter part of the 1940′s. He travelled the baseball routes of his day around the country and into Canada as well, pitching against Satchel Paige and playing with and against a host of other famous and less known baseball greats of his era.

His book, titled HE CAME FROM GOULDTOWN, released mid-December 2009 by Catawba Publishing, is an oral history of his life, conversations on his various careers, including baseball, with Dr Bob Allen, formerly of Penn State and now teaching at Cumberland County College of NJ.

Harold Gould’s book can be ordered directly by contacting Harold and Gwen Gould: gweneg@comcast.net

For further press information contact Dr Allen: lhadd@aol.com

Please view general project prospectus and sample clips at:

dreamsdeferred.org

and interviews with author at:

http://streams.wpsx.psu.edu/Negro_League02112.html
http://streams.wpsx.psu.edu/Negro_League02082.html

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Additional Books: