The story of Reginald F. Lewis, the Baltimore-born entrepreneur who made his mark on Wall Street as head of the nation's largest black-owned company, continues to inspire almost two years after his death.
Family and friends of the multimillionaire shared his story with students at his high school alma mater yesterday, in a ceremony inducting Mr. Lewis into Paul Laurence Dunbar Community High School's Hall of Fame.
"This is where his dreams began, and Dunbar was part of that preparation," said Loida Nicolas Lewis, his widow and chief executive of TLC Beatrice International Holdings Inc.
"His life is an example of how if you stay focused and determined you can succeed," said 17-year-old Larry D. Alston, who has taken the Scholastic Assessment Test seven times in his quest for a score of 1,100 out of 1,600. "He was just an average student, growing up in East Baltimore like I did."
A 1961 Dunbar graduate, Mr. Lewis spent his early childhood on East Baltimore's Dallas Street, moving later with his family to Rosemont in West Baltimore.
After graduating from Harvard Law School, Mr. Lewis headed to Wall Street to be a corporate lawyer, but soon became a corporate buyer and builder. He bought McCall Pattern Co. in lTC 1984 for $22.5 million and sold it three years later for $65 million.
His purchase of Beatrice International in 1987 for almost $1 billion put him on the financial map. When he died of brain cancer in 1993 with a net worth of $400 million, Forbes included him on its list of the 400 wealthiest Americans.
Ms. Lewis and her mother-in-law, Carolyn E. Fugett, spent part of yesterday promoting "Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun?" a book written by Mr. Lewis and Blair S. Walker. Royalties will be donated to the Reginald F. Lewis Foundation, through which he donated millions in the last years of his life.
Ms. Lewis had words of encouragement for the 500 students gathered in the East Baltimore school's auditorium yesterday morning.
Afterward, she reiterated Mr. Lewis' secrets of success: Pay your own way; set your goal and don't let anyone say you can't do it; and "just go after it; don't let any failure prevent you from moving forward."
"Seeing someone graduate from Dunbar High School and become a multimillionaire is something that is very inspiring for myself," said Dunbar senior Greta M. Goodwin, 17.
After her first high school semester at Dunbar, her grade-point average was a respectable 3.00. But she wasn't satisfied with that. Now, with a 3.49 GPA she is ranked ninth in her class.
To Mrs. Fugett, 69, such stories of striving would sound familiar.
Along with her son's budgeting skills, she said she noticed early on his determination.
"The first thing is, he followed through.
"Reggie could see down the road and turn the corner," said Mrs. Fugett, who lives in Randallstown with her husband, Jean S. Fugett Sr.
State Del. Clarence Davis, 52, also remembers seeing greatness in Mr. Lewis early in life.
As a center and linebacker for the Dunbar Poets, Mr. Davis, a 1960 graduate, played on the team quarterbacked by Mr. Lewis.
"Reggie was hard to love," Mr. Davis said. "Because he was so demanding."
Mr. Davis remembers vividly how his teammate's drive to be the best led to their first win as varsity players in 1958.
Their opponent was Polytechnic Institute, an intimidating match for the Poets -- but not for Reggie.
"We went in wanting to play well and not embarrass our community," Mr. Davis recalled. "Reggie wanted to win."
That determination helped Dunbar rally to beat Poly 12-8.
"He was too intense to fight with or debate with, so you just listened."