Reginald Lewis

[Clifford Black]

From the time of his purchase of McCall onward, the Baltimore-born investor found himself the subject of intense scrutiny as the first black to enter the high-stakes world of billion-dollar business takeovers. Lewis was never comfortable with the idea that he was a role model. As he put it in Fortune magazine: "It's tough enough to operate without the added pressure that if I make a mistake, I let down 30 million people. I think of myself as an American of African descent who's committed to what he is doing. If that work is an inspiration and helps others of my ethnic background, or any other, I'm delighted. But I don't want it to seep into decisions of how we evaluate our business." Lewis also told the New York Times: "I'm very proud of the of African Americans, and I'm delighted that people feel [my] accomplishment adds to that list. But to dwell on race--to see that as something that becomes part of my persona--is a mistake, and I do everything I can to discourage it."

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[Red Diamond]

While attempting to research Reginald Lewis, I looked up Reggie Lewis. I found it kind of strange they both died in the same year : 1993. Reggie Lewis died in July 1993 and Reginald Lewis died in Jan. 1993. Intially, in class, I thought Reggie Lewis the athlete was being discussed....