About The Author
In 1956, Author Mel Reed left Pine Plains (NY) High School without a diploma. He joined
IBM in 1963. In 1977, he was granted a 6-month social leave of absence from IBM to write a federally funded vocational training
program with O.I.C. of America. He enrolled 80 students in the basement of the St. Francis AME Zion church, in Port Chester,
NY. In February, 1981, he set out to write about how he started it with an initial grant of only $75,000, and a miracle happened
that changed his life and produced this book.
