Autobiography of Dr. Edward Irons : Only by Grace

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Irons, Edward.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

African American businesspeople--Biography.

African American businesspeople--Congresses.

Local Subjects:

African American businesspeople--Biography.

African American businesspeople--Congresses.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (249 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Goldsboro : Spirit Reign Communication, 2013.

Summary:

Only by Grace chronicles the life and achievements of Dr. Edward Irons, whose accomplishments are a testament to the heights one can reach through faith, commitment, and true dedication.Dr. Irons was recruited by Howard University in Washington D.C., to organize a business school. With the help of students and faculty, the business school came to fruition in 1970. He organized the first full program of the National Bankers Association, serving as its First Executive Director, and with the help of the Reverend Jesse Jackson, president of Operation Push, he launched a $100-million Bank Deposit Development Program for minority banks. During that time, Jesse Jackson approached Jim Roche, chairman of General Motors Corporation, and vehemently requested that GMC begin granting automobile franchises to African Americans, which was a historical move. Consequently, automobile franchises became the largest segment of minority business in the U.S. in the years that followed.After receiving his doctorate, he vowed to return to the South and 'give back,' rejecting a number of major corporate offers including the Mead Corporation, a multinational paper manufacturer which, at that time, had fifteen subsidiaries around the world. Dr. Irons also declined an offer from Chase Manhattan Bank.Another significant challenge for him was his acceptance of the deanship of the School of Business at Clark Atlanta University. In this position he was charged with the responsibility of securing the accreditation for both the graduate and undergraduate schools, with extremely limited resources. Had he not been successful, the graduate school would have lost its twenty-one-year accreditation. By the grace of God and, perhaps, given the fact that he was a member of the board of the accrediting agency, his quest for accreditation was successful. Following an illustrious twenty-four-year tenure, he retired from the deanship, exhausted. He was then approached by Dr. Thomas Cole, Jr., president of the university, and asked to stay on as Distinguished Professor of Finance/Entrepreneurship, a position which he held for fifteen years prior to his retirement.

Contents:

Cover

Title

Copyright

Contents

Dedication

Foreword

Chapter 1: The Ghetto: The Small Town Way

Chapter 2: In Defense of My Country

Chapter 3: Sitting-in Before Sitting-in was "in

Chapter 4: Education on My Terms

Chapter 5: My First Job Out of College and Beyond

Chapter 6: Hospital Administration Studies

Chapter 7: A Non-Politician Takes a Political Job

Chapter 8: The Consolidated State Institutions Experience

Chapter 9: Somebody Upstairs Stepped into My Life Again

Chapter 10: The Struggle for Dignity Comes to Tallahassee

Chapter 11: A Country Boy Goes to Harvard

Chapter 12: My Career Options

Chapter 13: Teaching, Publishing and Organizing a Bank

Chapter 14: Washington Calls

Chapter 15: Howard University Calls: To Create a Business School

Chapter 16: A Prestigious Professorship

Chapter 17: Our Daughter Defies Death

Chapter 18: The Reluctant Banking Commissioner

Chapter 19: Atlanta Beckons Again

Chapter 20: Lazarus Wasn't the Only One

Epilogue.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

ISBN:

1-940002-54-0

1-940002-55-9