In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

A C k n o w L e d g m e n t S The only debts that are a joy to acknowledge are those one amasses during the writing of a book. That is a paraphrase of the beginning to Sarah Maza’s acknowledgments in Private Lives and Public Affairs, which I read fifteen years ago in graduate school. It struck me then, as it does now, as a supremely appropriate way to approach acknowledging and thanking a long list of people and institutions without whom this particular book would have been a far lesser work. The directors and staffs at the institutions I visited helped in ways that went beyond opening their facilities and retrieving materials. Before this project had even been fully conceived, the Tuskegee University Archives welcomed me, and director Cynthia Wilson arranged for me to meet and interview Alice Coachman (Davis). Gerald Parnell and the staff at Randall Library Special Collections and Archives of the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, put up with me for several days in the summer of 2005, retrieving materials, listening to the beginnings of a project, and making suggestions. I am particularly indebted to the Hubert A. Eaton family for granting me access to his papers, and many thanks to Mr. Parnell for suggesting and arranging an interview with Hubert Eaton Jr. A discussion with Mureil Dawson of the Southeastern Regional Black Archives at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee made my trip to that facility worthwhile despite the dearth of materials. Sharon Hull Smith and Loretta Divens of the Brown-Daniel Library Special Collections at Tennessee State University were a tremendous help as I pored through materials from the Ed Temple Collection during the summer of 2007. Ms. Smith arranged what turned out to be a valuable interview with Ed Temple. Christyne Douglas at the Franklin Library Special Collections at Fisk University in Nashville helped me with the Alice Coachman Davis papers. The staff at the Newspaper and Current Periodicals Reading Room at the Library of Congress assisted me for more days than I can tally.The staff at the National Archives II in College Park, Maryland, and Mark Greek at the Martin Luther King Jr. branch of the D.C. Public Library were most helpful in helping me track down images of my athletes. Finally, the three people I interviewed—Alice Coachman Davis, Hubert Eaton Jr., and Ed Temple—tolerated my intrusion upon their lives, humored my questions, and gave me valuable hours of their time. Mrs. Davis even welcomed me into her home. I am grateful to them for sharing their stories. At three different junctures, George Mason University provided valuable financial assistance. Twice, the McKinnon-Morton Dissertation Fellowship from the Department of History and Art History made it possible for me to travel to research facilities without dipping so deeply into my own pockets. At a later juncture, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Fellowship allowed me to focus on my writing, which became the initial stage of this manuscript. A number of people made important contributions in helping me arrive at the start of the project, as well as at significant points along the way. Many years ago, Dr. David Hewett fueled my interest in history, demonstrated the value of an interesting lecture (something I have never been able to emulate), and became the standard by which I measured subsequent undergraduate experiences. He is a scholar and a gentleman as well as one of the finest teachers I have ever known. In 2000, Rosie Zagarri thoughtfully asked if I had considered a course on African Americans and sport being taught by Suzy Smith in lieu of her own course on the early republic. That suggestion changed the direction of my research interest from early American child rearing and ultimately resulted in this project. Mack Holt continually recommended fellowship opportunities and suggested ways that others could best assist me. Jack Censer was there with job opportunities that enriched my experience, provided helpful income, and even encouraged me to finish. He also helped me consider the realities of the project I had chosen. Many individuals made this a better monograph, by far. I am deeply indebted to Suzy Smith for her direction and continued support as I labored over the rewrite. She pushed me to consider and reconsider issues in both big and small ways and helped me navigate the difficult waters of constructive criticism. I appreciate her continued friendship more than I can say, and I...

Share