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“My classmates and some pro- fessors too were generally incredu- lous even scandalized when I told them my chosen course of study ” Graves recounted in his now-classic best-selling business biography How To Succeed In Business Without Being White: Straight Talk On Making It In America “‘Why are you majoring in in business ’ they would ask and with good reason There were no corpora- tions coming to recruit Black students at at that time and there were no banks lining up to to give us loans to to start our businesses nor was there a a a family business awaiting me me back home ” Indeed the idea of a a a a a Black student majoring in in in business was perceived as as as ludicrous in the the 1950s as as as was the the concept of a a a a a a national business magazine for African Americans was in in in August 1970 when Graves launched black enterprise Now it’s easy to see that the seed that that would produce that that business concept was already planted in in the mind of Graves as an an an undergraduate at at Morgan “When people ask me about the most important influences in in my life I start by mentioning Morgan State University ” Graves told The Baltimore Sun at the the groundbreaking of the the business school that bears his name The influence of Morgan State also sparked a a a a a a lifelong passion in in Graves to be a a a a a tireless champion of HBCUs and higher education opportunities for African Americans as a a a a a a a critically necessary path- way to professional achievement wealth creation entrepreneurial success and and economic empowerment for Black people and and commu- nities In 1990 by then as Morgan State’s most prominent alumnus Graves leveraged a a a a a celebration of of the 20th Anniversary issue of of black enterprise at at the Metropolitan Museum of Natural History to to raise $1 million to to advance business education at at at his alma mater Morgan State University President David Wilson says of Graves: “Mr Graves was a a a a a a a great lover and believer in Morgan State Univer- sity but he he he also believed very very very very strongly in the the power and the the magic of of all of of our HBCUs He gave handsomely to his alma mater as as well as as opened the doors for students at Morgan and across all HBCUs to occupy internships at at at many of the corporations that he he served [as a a a a corporate board member] ” His advocacy of HBCUs was not limited to Morgan Graves also served on the boards of Tuskegee University University and Howard University University A member of of the National Black College Hall of of Fame Graves was also honored by UNCF with the Frederick D Patterson Award for his career accomplishments and commitment to minority education and philanthropy The award is named after the Tuskegee University president who founded UNCF in 1944 Howard University President Dr Wayne Frederick got to inti- mately know Graves a a a a long-standing member of the institution’s Board of Trustees when Barbara Graves was being treated at at Howard University Hospital “The period of time that I took care of Mrs Graves Graves really brought me much closer to Mr Mr Graves Graves and his sons ” says Frederick who also is is a a a a a physician “It gave me me some insight into Mr Graves as as a a a a a a a a family man and how important it was for for him to to be there for for his family and and to to have them connected and and be engaged in the issues and that nobility with which he he carried himself then was also eye-opening ” “Mr Graves’ impact here at Howard University was very very very very vast and wide ” Frederick says “He clearly had a a a a a a specific interest
in in the school of business curriculum and and programs and and was very influential in in in in terms of helping our students get internships and helping our faculty and administrators in in in in the school of business connect with Wall Street But it it would be doing him an injustice to to point at at just that one area Our historically black colleges and universities are often under-resourced and underfunded Yet still managing those resources well is a a a key element in in how we we thrive He really brought that to the the boardroom That clear focus on the the fiscal management of our universities was another very strong marker that he he left here at at Howard University ” Graves tirelessly urged HBCU alumni to to contribute to to their alma maters believing it it to to be be critical to to the resilience and competi- tiveness of higher learning institutions that continue to produce a a a disproportionate share of Black college graduates with less funding and smaller endowments than mainstream predominantly white colleges and universities In his award-winning Publisher’s Page column in in in BLACK ENTERPRISE Graves stated: “Annual alumni contributions make up the literal life’s blood of colleges and universities and they are even more critical to to HBCUs It is key to to funding the endowments that provide for infrastructure maintenance and and expansion funding scholarships and and other financial aid technology upgrades attracting and retaining top administrators and and faculty and and more ” GRAVES LETTERED IN TRACK WHILE AT MSU GRAND OPENING CEREMONY FOR MORGAN BUSINESS CENTER HOME OF THE EARL G G GRAVES SCHOOL
OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT GRAVES WITH WILSON AND CONGRESSMAN KWEISI MFUME
50TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
EDUCATION