Lillian Lincoln Lambert

The Road to Someplace Better: From the Segregated South to Harvard Business School and Beyond Lillian Lincoln Lambert, with Rosemary Brutico. Wiley, $25.95 (256p) ISBN 978-0-470-40166-8

This is an old-fashioned rags-to-riches story that traces Lambert’s upbringing as the daughter of God-fearing Virginia subsistence farmers to becoming the first black woman to graduate from Harvard Business School, in year 1969, and later attaining success as a Maryland entrepreneur. Told in straightforward, no-nonsense prose, Lambert’s memoir begins backward, from the shocking anecdote about arriving for a meeting of a group of powerful businesswomen in New York City in 1986 and being ushered to the kitchen. In fact, Lambert née Hobson worked as a maid when she first arrived in New York City in 1958, fresh out of high school from Ballsville, Va. (Her 1976 startup of a janitorial service in Maryland provides another irony.) Although her mother, a rare college graduate back in the rural South, wanted her daughter to go to college, Lambert resolved to support herself instead, faking references to get a job at Macy’s, for example. After working as a clerk-typist in Washington, D.C., she finally applied to Howard University, where her marketing professor, H. Naylor Fitzhugh, one of the few black graduates of Harvard’s business school told her she was “Harvard material” and should apply. She was accepted and in the fall of 1967 at 27 years old, she found herself homesick, overwhelmed by the work, but determined not to quit. Her account captures a historic epoch and offers some business strategies. (Jan.)

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Descending on the sprawling campus of the Harvard Business School with its majestic setting, to attend my fortieth class reunion, I reminisced of my first venture on that hallowed campus – somewhat frightened, not sure what to expect and at the same time anxious to start a new chapter in my life. It is now Oct 2009 and I return with great confidence as I enter the relatively new Spangler auditorium to hear a lecture, “Who Killed Healthcare and the Current Public Policy Options” by HBS Professor. Regina E. Herzlinger.

What a difference from 1968, when sitting in the classroom, I sometimes trembled with fear at the prospect of being called on by the professor to start discussion of the assigned case study. No possibility of that happening today.

I must say I made the decision to attend the reunion with some trepidation. From the registration list I knew only two of the seventeen women from my class year were attending and none of the African American graduates. But I calmly told myself “You’ve been in that situation many times over the years”. Our host hotel the old-line Charles Hotel in Harvard Square was the location for receptions, class dinners and the gala. Over the year classmates had mellowed and egos had diminished.

On the day of departure, I ventured out of the hotel, a few blocks down the street to visit my living quarters in 1967-1969 – Radcliffe Graduate Dormitory, 6 Ash Street, Cambridge, MA. The three-story, brick rectangular building, about one-half mile from the business school, was home to graduate female students from the various Harvard schools. Women were not admitted to the business school until 1963 and by 1967 dorms were still not coed. How well do I remember those cold, cold walks across the bridge to class dressed in my business attire. It was with mixed feeling that I stood outside that building on this overcast, drizzling day and thought of those days forty years ago – some pleasant and some not-so-pleasant memories. Bearing in mind that this was a central part of my two-year experience at Harvard, my husband took a photo of me standing on the steps of the front entrance. Emotions of excitement, sadness and calm overcame me as I slowly walked back to the hotel to leave for my return home. Forty years, it was hard to believe!

As a young student at Howard University in the early 60”s, not sure of what I wanted to study, I was intrigued by the description of a course: Introduction to Business. I signed up. Little did I realize then but that one decision changed the course of my life. Not only did it help me decide my major field of study but it connected me with a very important person who became my mentor – the professor who taught the course.

I define a mentor as “someone who has checked out the minefield and can point out the mines before you step on them”. Mentor relationships can be formal or informal depending on the needs of the persons involved. In my case it was informal –no hard, fast rules. A true mentor helps in guiding your development, but not for personal gain. You can choose a mentor or someone may choose you (with your approval, of course) because they see a need that you may not recognize. In my case, the professor chose me though I’m not sure what he saw missing in my development. My guess is that he saw me as a “fish out of water” an older freshman student (22 versus 18) trying to find my way in an environment which was totally new to me. He helped guide me in the selection of my courses, hired me as his student assistant and influenced me to pursue my graduate study at none other than the Harvard Business School.

During the course of a career, a person may have multiple mentors at different stages as the career develops and changes. As you experience changes and growth in your career don’t be reluctant to seek out a mentor if no one seeks you out. Most people are honored to be asked for guidance. If you do have a mentor, be sure you pass it forward by becoming one yourself.

Our second day in Boston stop was at the Sister of the Poor which is a residence for seniors, both infirmed and ambulatory. They were so happy to see us. Some of these residents have few, if any, visitor. Our intent was to tell them about the Hope project and have each of the speakers speak. Our plan changed when we realized how anxious they were to talk to us. They were then asked to tell us about their lives. Bob started. It was obvious that he had difficulty speaking but that did not stop him even though the director had to interpret much of what he said. A 90-year old lady told us how she loved to dance and danced a lot in her youth. Another woman told of her many games of tennis and the trophies she had won. Before we left everyone in the room had spoken except one lady who arrived late. After they spoke I was asked to share my experience at Harvard Business School. Bob, the first to speak who considers himself the official tour guide, then took us to visit those residents who were not able to come down from their rooms.

The first stop on day two was at Boston’s Women Fund where we met with Arlene Snyder, Director of Philanthropy. The Fund supports community-based organizations in the Greater Boston Area that are run by women and girls. She shared with us that as a small charity they have been greatly affected by the downtown in the economy.

From there we visited with Strong Women Strong Girls. This organization has an intriguing concept Their mission is to build upon the lessons learned from strong women throughout history to help girls and young women become strong women themselves. They work with schools and emphasis girls in grades 3-5 to help them build positive self-esteem and skills for life-long success. There are chapters on some college campuses where the students volunteer as mentor. Having opened an office in Miami, their goal is to become a national operation. They asked me to share my story after which we discussed my returning at some point to talk to the girls and young women. Something I would love to do.

Our final Boston stop was Hope in Bloom where we visited the home of a stage 4 cancer patient who is in remission. Hope in Bloom plants indoor and outdoor gardens at the homes of women and men who have breast cancer. Healing gardens are said to have therapeutic value that support the emotional and psychological needs of patients and their families. In addition to viewing the beautiful garden we were treated to homemade chocolate chip cookies and cider. What a great way to end my first leg of the tour. Then off to the airport for my return to Virginia.