Col. Clifford Worthy will discuss his history-making life as an early black graduate of West Point Academy who went on to a distinguished military career during a program and book signing for his memoir “The Black Knight,” at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit on Saturday, April 6 from 2 until 5 p.m.
Colonel Worthy graduated from West Point in 1953. In the 1950’s he was one of the few African American West Point cadets. “The Black Knight” takes its name from the traditional nickname for the West Point football team who are called the “Black Knights of the Hudson” because of their black uniforms. Worthy writes about his journey to West Point and the challenges that he and his family faced in the U.S. Army, including service on the front lines of the Vietnam War.
James B. Hayes, former Publisher of Fortune magazine, writes of “The Black Knight”: "Stories of certain lives deserve to be told and preserved. They serve as inspiration for all of us and for generations that follow. Colonel Cliff Worthy's is one of those lives."
The late U.S. Rep. John Dingell, Jr., wrote in the book's foreword, "If my father had not taken that chance in the 1940s of sending a young African-American student from Detroit to West Point, Cliff would not have had his remarkable career.... As it was in the past, our country once again is deeply divided. I love this country. Cliff Worthy loves this country. I hope that this memoir will remind you of what it truly means to be an American."
Worthy's commitment to faith, family and service included raising his daughters Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy and writer Jennifer Worthy, and his loving support of his son Mark, who was born with developmental disabilities.
Cheryl Loveday, Executive Director of Angels' Place in Michigan, urges families facing these challenges to read Worthy’s book: "As the father of three remarkable children, it was the life and specialness of his son Mark that led Cliff to dedicate his time and his wisdom to the Angels' Place mission--helping to provide homes and hope to hundreds of individuals with developmental disabilities."
Kym Worthy said her father’s personal memoir is a very special gift: “It is wonderful for me and my family to have my father’s memoir to understand the discipline and single-minded focus it took for him to have a distinguished career in the military and in the private sector. He is an inspiration to me, and I hope his legacy will inspire others.”
Clifford Worthy, now in his 90s, currently resides in Bloomfield Hills, MI with his wife Mildred Worthy.
The event will kick off with a program from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., followed by a book signing and reception from 3:45 p.m. until 5 p.m. at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, 345 East Warren Avenue in Detroit.
Media Contact
Edward Foxworth III, Director of External Affairs, 313-494-5863, efoxworth@thewright.org