By Howard Curtis Rosenwald Jones/President, CEO of Wilson OIC

Thirty-Six Years Is Just the Beginning "Thirty-six years, son; remember thirty-six years." These were the last words spoken to me by Rev. Dr. Leon Howard Sullivan before his death of leukemia in Scottsdale, AZ at the age of 78 on April 24, 2001.

With this softly uttered admonition, I was overcome with flashes of memory of our years together. Each memory triggering another until there seemed to be no end to them. Faces, speeches and conversations were intertwined with the pain of losing my mentor and adopted father; a black Baptist preacher, born in Charleston, West Virginia in 1922 and raised by his grandmother.

This gentle giant, who loved grapes, had a modest wardrobe and drove Chevrolets, was enamored in other countries around the world where there is poverty and despair just as most Americans, misguidedly I think, make a big deal over sports figures and movie stars. Giants of global industries like General Motors, Coca-Cola, Chevron, Exxon, Sunoco, General Electric, Chase Manhattan, Pfizer, Metropolitan Life, RJ Reynolds, IBM, Lords of London, Merck and Kellogg knew him on a first name basis. His feat of procuring Lee's Castle for strategy sessions to implement the original "Sullivan Principles" of corporate social responsibility, which broke the back of apartheid in South Africa and led to its independence and Nelson Mandela"s presidency, is still a mystery to most. One black man having the influence and the passion to bring 25 top CEO's from around the world together for a private summit to talk about ending apartheid in South Africa on three occasions is miraculous. It was a private meeting because if the public had found out about it, there would have been a huge outcry. At the end of the meeting there were 25 companies unanimously behind him in his efforts to end apartheid.

One highlight of my life with Dr. Sullivan was when we stood with Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg during the 5th African African-American Summit and he spoke with tears in his eyes of the many years he was in jail and there was only one man in the whole world who was fighting all alone to change that. My pride was that I was standing there with these two giants and heard it said first hand that "Leon Sullivan single handedly brought the
walls of apartheid down."

Adviser to every American President since Lyndon B. Johnson; conversant with heads of state on five of the seven continents and hundreds more senators, congressmen, congresswomen and cabinet level officials besiege me with memories of their conversations and collaborations with Dr. Sullivan to help poor people throughout America and around the world.

It took this kind of relationship building to help people. Dr. Sullivan was able to get both the most liberal and the most conservative to support his work. His ability to express himself and his vision and his passions to
help others, had a special way of getting to the hearts and mind of people could see.

He dealt with entire continents, not individual countries, in his latter years. In Wilson, NC on October 15, 1999 for the 27th Anniversary celebration of the Opportunities Industrialization Center of Wilson, INC (OIC), Dr. Sullivan spoke of his intention to establish the "Global Sullivan Principles" and to have it adopted by the United Nations. This caused chills over many that heard him and knew him; and skepticism among those who did not know him. He spoke softly and his vision was so huge, that it was simple unimaginable that such a thing could happen.

During November 1999 Koffi Anan, Secretary General of the United Nations announced the acceptance of the Global Sullivan Principles by a majority of member nations. Like the original Principles, they are simply written and concise:

Global Sullivan Principles
1. Express support for universal human rights.
2. Promote equal opportunity.
3. Respect employee's voluntary freedom of association.
4. Compensate employees to enable them to meet at least their basis needs.
5. Provide a safe and healthy workplace.
6. Promote fair competition including respect for intellectual property rights.
7. Work to improve the quality of life in communities in which companies operate.
8. Promote the application of the Principles by those with whom you do business.

Returning from his last trip abroad in mid February 2001, he was very, very tired. He only wanted to get home to Scottsdale and see Grace, often referred to as Amazing Grace, his wife of fifty-five years (most people
probably do not know that she was his first confidant and advisor on all the things he took on and with her blessing he always went forward and was successful.) Yet, he was staying over in Washington DC to meet with the US Secretary of State to get help to fight AIDS in Africa. He knew his circumstance, his illness, yet he gave his life to keep the promise he made to himself as a nine year old boy in Charleston, West Virginia that he would
fight injustice as long as he was alive.

It was only during the next week when I saw President Bush on national television, flanked by Secretary of State Colin Powell, announcing $200 million in US support to fight AIDS in Africa that the enormity of his
effort was revealed. Most people will never know how this came about; Dr. Sullivan never sought recognition and credit. Other less worthy souls might just think "we did it ourselves", not really ever knowing, understanding or
acknowledging that Leon Sullivan was there before them and prepared the way. I predict that one day in history, Rev. Dr. Leon Howard Sullivan will hang high among the giants of the world when it comes to service t o humanity and building bridges and moving mountains.

He truly was and ordinary man doing extraordinary things. During the sixty some years of service, Dr. Sullivan planted "Little Sullivan" seeds in the hearts and minds of people and he would come by every so often to water
them. He would go about the world making sure we understood where he was going and how to get there. He has hundreds of "Little Sullivan's" in several different countries and in industries that are committed to
preserving his vision. He truly was a man of God. There is so much to tell about him. Wherever he was, I made it my business to be there, to learn at his knee. I studied him to a science, until I would almost know
what he was thing whenever I saw him. I am thankful that I was alive at the time he as this giant and that he plucked me out and selected me to share his knowledge with. That is what he meant to me and to so may other folks not just here in American but around the world. He was my leader, my father, my teacher, my counselor and most of all I can say my friend.

The things he has done are certainly unmeasurable, sometimes untellable and almost impossible to describe. The OIC story alone is more than most men achieve in one lifetime. Millions of lives changed for the better forever
just in this country through training and job placement. The first selective patronage movement in America coined the phrase "we don't buy where we don't work", the original March on Washington with A. Phillip
Randolph and the Brotherhood of the sleeping car porters; first black man to serve on any major corporate board in the world - all these were part of his path to freedom for his people.

May 19, 2001 was the day we were supposed to depart for the sixth African African-American Summit in Nigeria. Usually there are eight to ten thousand delegates from more than forty countries to participate in the bi-annualSummits. All this came from God through one man, with an idea and with determination, because it was the right thing to do.

From my perspective, I as an individual have benefited and am one of the most blessed people in the world to be able to say that he was my friend and I was his friend. I will always treasure the moments we celebrated
together. Another highlight of my time with him is of the time he spent in my home. I personally think of his bedroom as the Sullivan room and it will remain as it is as long as I live. Sometimes when we talked, I was not sure that he agreed with me on certain issues, but I was glad that he felt comfortable talking with me about them. Then I would hear him speak about them, sometimes to groups of a thousand people or more. Then I would know that he heard me and I would feel extremely humble and blessed. We have gone from pillar to post in America and in may other nations. There are so many things that I can not even talk about yet without becoming emotional.

So many of us had the privilege of knowing him and to be with him on so many occasions, it is almost more than I can comprehend. I become emotional and then I become happy when I think about it. I just say thank you, God
when I get to that point and thank you Dr. Sullivan for allowing me to come into your life and share just a little part of your vision. Thank you for creating the little role Wilson NC played by giving our support to your
ideas and to your efforts to help people.

Thought Dr. Sullivan is physically gone, his spirit is high among his ambassadors. I am sad, I am joyous and I am committed. As far as I am concerned, he brought more into the world than any man who has ever lived.
His hopes and dreams will ever die as long as I am alive. His loss made all of the "Little Sullivans" grow from boys to men seemingly overnight.

His mission was giving, giving, giving. He knew his circumstance, his illness, yet he gave his life. There is no way that OIC will ever stop.We must continue his philosophy and his concepts of self-help through OIC of
America, through OIC International, through International Foundation of Education and Self-Help (IFESH) and through the African African-American Summits. He never claimed to be, but he had to have been a prophet. And he has left all the "Little Leon's" of the world to continue his mission, to accept leadership responsibilities in their communities, their cities, their counties, their countries and to serve people in need.

His final public visit in America was in North Carolina and as he spoke to the National Black Caucus of State Legislators in Charlotte and as he prepared to close he shared with the audience that his grandmother couldn't
read nor write and would say to him when she wanted to write to her sister, Leon, write this letter: "just a few words to let you hear from me. I am well and hope you are the same." Afterwards she'd say, now, Leon you go
ahead and just finish the rest.

His closing remarks although spoken to the legislators were directed to the major corporations of the world, "just a few words to let you hear from me, you go and finish the rest.

His beautiful family includes his wife, Grace, son, Howard Jr. and daughters Julie and Hope. I tease Howard, Jr. that he is Howard, Jr. number two and I am Howard Jr. number one because of the gap in age (I am
older than he is.) They are all dong his work. Howard, Jr. is in Sub-Saharan Africa. His goal is to have schools in every hamlet and every village in Africa; already two hundred (200 schools have been built. Hope
is running IFESH along with Dr. CT Wright, another one of my mentors and one of Dr. Sullivan's closet advisors.

There will always be Leon Howard Sullivans in this world from this day forward. It will be just like the weather. We know there is going to be a summer. We know there is going to be a fall and we know that the Sullivan
concept will always be there.
When we were together a few months ago in Ohio, before he became too ill to travel, he said to me, "The wind, the storm and the rain - that is nature, but it is human nature to prepare for it." This is the Leon
Sullivan that I had the privilege of spending time with, he shared so many things with me and he would point his finger at me and say, "son, don't forget, just remember what I said."

Isn't that something God bless Leon Sullivan, Mrs. Sullivan and all the "Little Sullivans" who are going through what I am going through.

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