Soon after taking the advice of Mr. Caldwell to not give up on my dream just because of what someone said during a meeting, I began continuing my research into where all of these Black-owned businesses were located with extra help from the Mahogany directory obtained through my earlier research. Sadly, a great deal of the phone numbers were disconnected although the publication was not quite a year old. I was, however, able to salvage enough good numbers to begin the laborious task of calling enough listed numbers to confirm addresses for my survey/questionnaire. Basically, my goal was to connect directly with the folks that I would then pitch for paid advertising in my new yet unnamed Black business directory.
The holiday season was rapidly approaching and I was determined to get my survey in the mail right after the New Year which was January 1990. My strategy here was not to procrastinate especially since TX had indicated during our meeting in September 1989 that he was nearing a publishing date for his similar publication. I also continued badgering my fellow Black associates at Duke Power Company for additional business names and locations. This type of research was a lot more arduous back then due to the lack of modern day technology like the Internet, email, and cell phones which did not exist. It is partially for that reason that I was not able to mail my survey/questionnaire out until the end of February 1990 almost two months past my target date of January 1, 1990. Well, I thought to myself after the mailing, if the responses are mostly negative then at least I kept my word and tried to follow my dream of publishing a widely-circulated Black business directory for Charlotte, NC.
I remember to this day my heart pounding as I individually licked and stamped each one-page survey/questionnaire to over 50 local Black-owned businesses. I said a quick prayer, remained positive, and went about my normal routine as a Distribution Engineer for Duke Power Company by day and a somewhat party animal by night. I was approaching 30 years old and decided that that type of lifestyle was slowly getting old, empty, and non-challenging. I had already been divorced, fathered a child, and earned the first of my three college degrees. I was also rapidly advancing my career in the military holding down a slot as a Senior Drill Instructor in the 2/321st Regiment, 108th Division, US Army Reserves, out of Fort Bragg, NC.
Before that I had served over three years as a Paratrooper on active duty at Fort Bragg, NC in the 7th Special Forces Group Signal Company. Our job was to follow the teams anywhere in the world and provide the very important communications necessary to get them in and out of some pretty exotic places. Our mission was to travel around the world to various exotic places, meeting very exotic people, and then killing them! I ended my time in service there in July of 1982 after honorably serving four years on active duty. I finally completed my A.S. Degree in Electronics Engineering in 1985, seven years after starting the program in 1978. I was fortunate to graduate with honors after such a long time and so many disruptions and distractions while on active duty, and afterwards as a civilian. None of my family members attended my graduation nor can I remember receiving one congratulatory card. It was indeed a lonely affair.
The holiday season was rapidly approaching and I was determined to get my survey in the mail right after the New Year which was January 1990. My strategy here was not to procrastinate especially since TX had indicated during our meeting in September 1989 that he was nearing a publishing date for his similar publication. I also continued badgering my fellow Black associates at Duke Power Company for additional business names and locations. This type of research was a lot more arduous back then due to the lack of modern day technology like the Internet, email, and cell phones which did not exist. It is partially for that reason that I was not able to mail my survey/questionnaire out until the end of February 1990 almost two months past my target date of January 1, 1990. Well, I thought to myself after the mailing, if the responses are mostly negative then at least I kept my word and tried to follow my dream of publishing a widely-circulated Black business directory for Charlotte, NC.
I remember to this day my heart pounding as I individually licked and stamped each one-page survey/questionnaire to over 50 local Black-owned businesses. I said a quick prayer, remained positive, and went about my normal routine as a Distribution Engineer for Duke Power Company by day and a somewhat party animal by night. I was approaching 30 years old and decided that that type of lifestyle was slowly getting old, empty, and non-challenging. I had already been divorced, fathered a child, and earned the first of my three college degrees. I was also rapidly advancing my career in the military holding down a slot as a Senior Drill Instructor in the 2/321st Regiment, 108th Division, US Army Reserves, out of Fort Bragg, NC.
Before that I had served over three years as a Paratrooper on active duty at Fort Bragg, NC in the 7th Special Forces Group Signal Company. Our job was to follow the teams anywhere in the world and provide the very important communications necessary to get them in and out of some pretty exotic places. Our mission was to travel around the world to various exotic places, meeting very exotic people, and then killing them! I ended my time in service there in July of 1982 after honorably serving four years on active duty. I finally completed my A.S. Degree in Electronics Engineering in 1985, seven years after starting the program in 1978. I was fortunate to graduate with honors after such a long time and so many disruptions and distractions while on active duty, and afterwards as a civilian. None of my family members attended my graduation nor can I remember receiving one congratulatory card. It was indeed a lonely affair.
