Dad, I served: The autobiography of C.J. McLin, Jr,Used

ReviewDad, I Served, carefully weaves the anatomy of a leader who led like a drum major, to better his community, even to the level of selfsacrifice. Laverne Sci Director, Paul Laurence Dunbar House Dayton, Ohio C. J., as he was known, was a state representative from Dayton, Ohio for 22 years. But the sinewy, balding, plainspoken funeral director and businessman was much ore than that. As reflected in Dad, I Served, C. J. was the strategist and powerbroker who welded other black representativesall fellow Democratsinto a power block capable of asserting real influence on Ohio affairs. To read this autobiography, as told to his longtime constituent Minnie Fells Johnson, is to learn a bit more of how enduring political results are achieved. James E.P. Sullivan, Political Historian, Dayton, OhioHe speaks much of integrity and vision and these seem to characterize C. J. McLin, Jr. the man, legislator, father and son. Carolyn H. Parker, Assistant Professor, Alabama A. and M. University, Huntsville, AlabamaIn nearly every man lurks a yearning to win approval from his father. And so it was with late C. J. McLin, Jr. Ten years after his death, the state legislator and civil rights champion from Dayton is now telling the story of his life and posthumously trying to quench that internal desire. Hence, his . . . autobiography is titled Dad, I Served, as a tribute to his father. David Mendell, Dayton Daily News, Dayton, OhioThe accomplishments of C. J. McLin are vividly laid out in this book, but one of the most focal points of this book was his willingness to be of service to others. Dean Wallace, The Dayton Weekly, Dayton, OhioProduct DescriptionDad, I Served: The Autobiography of C. J. McLin, Jr. in 1998 to is a tribute to the political life of the late Honorable C. J. McLin, Jr. While his sphere of influence grew significantly over a 22 year career in the Ohio General Assembly, C. J. McLin willfully remained in local and state politics: a courageous strategist, a tireless negotiator, and a toughminded idealist who used his regional and national connections not for his own glory but for the welfare of the least of his constituents. His influence was sought not only by those he served, but by Democratic presidential and gubernatorial hopefuls alikeKennedy, Johnson, Carter, Humphrey, Jesse Jackson, governors Gilligan and Celeste, all came by C. J. Despite the painful and frightening experiences of racism early in his life, C. J. chose the high ground, and was driven by concern for all people, regardless of race or status. Described as a workhorse rather than a show horse, he took great pride in being able to deliver to his constituents. to support that delivery system, C. J.'s vision led to the founding of the Black Elected Democrats of Ohio (BEDO), which became the model for regional and national Black political caucuses. The title, Dad, I Served, aptly describes C. J.'s satisfaction and pride in having fulfilled the political dreams that escaped his father, C. J. McLin, Sr. Both of them lived and breathed politics. So much so, that as C. J. told his memoirs to Minnie Fells Johnson, his primary focus was politics. Minnie began taping C. J.'s inspiring story before he became seriously ill with cancer and continued the taping sessions until his death in 1988. In addition to C. J.'s personal story, the book also includes views of C. J. Through the Eyes of Others with chapters by his late mother, Rubie McLin and his daughter, Ohio Senator, Rhine L. McLin.From the PublisherSome lives are so significant in courageous accomplishments, they form the beginning of an era. Others bring with their death the end of an era. Their thinking, their creative ideas, their magnificent model leave a veritable chasm across life's landscape. The person's shoes are so big that after death, rare is the individual who can fill them. State Representative C. J. McLin, Jr was such a person. And, Wright State University is proud to