Fraternity by Diane Brady: The Book Only One Journalist Could Write
Back in 2005, I read a profile in the New York Times about Ted Wells, the high-powered Washington attorney retained by former Dick Cheney aide Scooter Libby to spearhead his defense against charges of obstruction of justice, among others. The article mentioned that Wells, an African American, had attended the College of the Holy Cross. This struck me as an unusual choice given the racial tensions of the late 1960s.
STARKMAN has quite an affinity for Holy Cross, as we have a longstanding relationship with the institution that has yielded numerous impressive interns who now work for us full-time (see here and here). Our other Holy Cross connection is through our friend and client Stan Grayson, the vice chairman and chief operating officer of M.R. Beal, the nation’s leading and oldest minority-owned investment bank. Grayson attended Holy Cross on a basketball scholarship and was the first African American basketball player inducted into the school’s sports Hall of Fame. He also was the first African American to head the municipal bond team of a major Wall Street firm.
So, when Grayson told me that he and Wells had attended Holy Cross together and remain close friends, I told him I found it interesting that a college that had virtually no minorities at the time had yielded two trail-blazing African Americans. He replied that there were actually five such men in his class that went on to great achievement in their fields. Their other classmates were Clarence Thomas, the Supreme Court Justice; Edward Jones, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and Eddie Jenkins, a running back with the legendary 1972 undefeated Miami Dolphins.
Grayson then told me the story about Reverend John Brooks, then a professor of theology at Holy Cross who, in the days following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., set out to recruit African American students to the college in keeping with his shared belief in the rightness of equality and the need for an integrated society. Grayson readily credited Father Brooks for the success he and his classmates achieved. To be clear, Holy Cross’ early attempt at integration wasn’t without incident. Grayson and other minority students at the time experienced both overt and subtle racism on campus, culminating in a walkout, but they eventually persevered.
The story of Reverend Brooks’ mission and message was quite extraordinary for the times, and I felt strongly that the story should be told to a broader audience. And, when I pondered the universe of reporters who would likely appreciate the importance of the story, only one reporter came to mind: Diane Brady.
Having spent more than three decades interacting with journalists of all stripes, I can say with considerable authority that Brady is pretty much in a league of her own. Her credentials speak for themselves: stints at Wall Street Journal and Canada’s Maclean’s before joining Businessweek, various national and international awards, and a board member of the Overseas Press Club. While there are other journalists with similarly impressive accomplishments, there are few, if any, journalists who rival Brady’s integrity, fairness, and compassion.
I’ve known Brady (a fellow Canadian) for more than a decade and have closely followed her work. Her hallmark is getting her subjects to trust her and open up, and her stories are always chock full of anecdotes and telling quotes that allow readers to draw their own conclusions. I’ve never known Brady to take a cheap shot, and I defy anyone to find even a hint of bias in her stories. Recipients of less-than-flattering profiles from Brady no doubt deserved them.
When I introduced Brady to Grayson, I was confident she would readily appreciate the story of Reverend Brooks. But, getting Brady interested in doing the story was only half the challenge. Grayson is an incredibly modest and humble guy, and I quickly learned that Wells is as well (and, for that matter, so are the more than dozen Holy Cross grads I know; humility seems to be a core value of all Holy Cross alumni). Grayson and Wells were initially reticent about being profiled but, over a steak dinner one night, agreed to do so after I appealed to their loyalty to Reverend Brooks and assured them that Brady would accurately and fairly profile his magnificent career. After meeting with Brady, Grayson and Wells were sold and subsequently convinced Reverend Brooks and their other classmates to speak with her as well. Brady’s resulting story that ran in Businessweek in March 2007 speaks for itself; she was indeed the right person to tell the tale.
Magazine space restrictions being what they are, however, there was still much to the story yet untold. So, Brady decided to give the full story of the men, the times, and the mentor the full airing they deserved. The result is Fraternity, a fascinating book that chronicles Father Brooks’ recruitment and mentoring of five exceptional African American college students who achieved considerable success because of his influence and guidance.
Brady’s inimitable style and reporting talents are the foundation of the book’s success, as is the fact that she possesses the same character and humility as the individuals she profiled. Clearly, this was a book that no other journalist could have written as adeptly, and we warmly congratulate Diane on its publication.