©1999, Multnomah Publishers,  387 pages, hardback

In his providence, God allowed the lives of two very different men to cross in the mid-l890s.  Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver walked the same path for the next two decades in their mutual desire to promote Tuskegee Institute (later Tuskegee University) and to improve their race in the aftermath of emancipation.  They were different personalities and pursued different avenues in working toward the same goals.

Washington was born in the late l850s in rural Franklin County, Virginia.  Without a knowledge of his father, he was raised by his stepfather who moved the family to Maldin, West Virginia, after emancipation.  The young boy thirsted for an education.  He attended school when it did not conflict with his work in the salt mines.  In time, he was hired as the house servant for the wife of the mine owner. She was precise and demanding in her orders to the young man.  In this position he learned many life lessons that served him well later.

Having heard of Hampton Norman School, he decided to apply in person.  After months of persevering travel, he arrived in Hampton, Virginia, where he was eventually admitted to the school.  His diligence and determination as a student led to an offer for him to establish a school in Tuskegee, Alabama, to train black teachers.

He arrived in Tuskegee in June of l88l with the intent of opening school on July 4th.  The ways God used Washington’s initiative and industriousness make for fascinating reading from Perry’s pen.  Challenges did not end with the school’s opening.  Money was needed.  As enrollment increased more buildings and staff were necessary.  This meant a continuing need for fundraising.  Washington often traveled in the North. He was  away from the campus and his family, often.  He managed campus needs from a distance much of the time.

Carver also never knew his father.  Orphaned at a young age, he was raised by his master, Moses Carver.  He, too, thirsted for an education.  He attended school as opportunity allowed and he worked in a variety of jobs.  Ultimately, he was able to attend Iowa State University to study horticulture. In l896 he turned down an opportunity to pursue a graduate degree there in order to move to Tuskegee and set up an agricultural school under Booker T. Washington’s oversight.  He had expected some facilities to be in place but was surprised to find nothing on site.  Additionally, as he began to organize his department, he learned that Washington expected daily reports on the department’s status in a number of areas.  The gifted scientist, Carver, was a poor manager and often could not find  time to file the required reports, much to Washington’s dismay.

Because of their differing gifts, numerous misunderstandings resulted.  Nevertheless, each gentleman remained solid in his commitment to Christ, Tuskegee, and desire to aid  racial advancement in education, economics, and development of basic skills.  They continued to work together, by God’s grace.

The culture and times produced additional challenges.  Perry explains those events so that the reader gets a basic understanding of the pressures these men were facing.  Washington’s managerial skills must be exercised at peak performance. He faced challenges from increasing legal segregation, as well as from frustrated black leaders who wanted to push for racial equality.  Carver wanted to be left alone to pursue his research and experimentation.  He believed that in that way, men of all races would recognize his worth and equality.

Each man’s story makes for thought-provoking reading.  Perry has done a fine job of developing each life separately and later showing how they intertwined for God’s glory.  This volume provides the reader with a better understanding of why we are still dealing with racial issues in our  day. We can, also, obtain a number of valuable lessons for living in the midst of personal and cultural conflict.

Review ©2006 Byron Snapp, Hampton, Virginia