Clarence C. Finley*

Born in Chicago, Clarence Finley was the fourth of six children. His father abandoned the family when Finley was 11, and his Norwegian-born mother struggled to raise her children without public assistance.

Finley was a good student. When he graduated at the age of 16, he was offered two college scholarships, but he refused both so that he could stay home and help his mother, who had fallen ill. He enrolled at a local junior college, working his way through by delivering newspapers, cutting lawns, cleaning basements, and doing other odd jobs.

After graduation, Finley worked as a file clerk for Charm Tred, a carpet manufacturer. In 1943, Finley, who had a pilot's license, volunteered for an experimental fighter-pilot program that prepared black men for combat. He received 27 of the top 30 awards and was commissioned a second lieutenant. He served as executive officer of the 99th Fighter Squadron, one of four all-black squadrons that formed a special unit known as the Red-Tails, a daring and reliable escort for bombers in Africa and the South Pacific.

After World War II ended, Finley returned to Charm Tred, where he was promoted steadily. At the same time, he earned an accounting degree from Northwestern University and later studied law at John Marshall Law School. "For six or seven years, I worked full time six days a week and went to school at night," he said. "It was tough on my family."

In 1959, Burlington Industries acquired Charm Tred, and Finley stayed on as comptroller. In 1974, Burlington made him a corporate group vice president, a post he held until his retirement in 1987. By the time Finley received his Horatio Alger Award in 1978, Burlington had become the world's largest manufacturer of textiles, and Finley was responsible for six divisions of the company.

Finley and his wife, Emma, moved in 1990 to California, where he became involved with several volunteer organizations. He headed the finance committee of the Tuskegee Airman Scholarship Fund, and he spent 16 years at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and was named director emeritus.

Finley believed successful black business executives have a responsibility to encourage young blacks. "There are so few of us who have achieved some level of influence," he said. "It is incumbent on us to help."

Although Finley built his career with a single corporation, he believed that young people today should have entrepreneurial opportunities. "At one time, you could come out of school and think in terms of a career in management," he he said. "Today, you can't really look at a single company, no matter how large, and say, '˜There is my career path.'" Finley also told young people to never settle for the status quo. "Always take that extra step," he advised. "Always make that extra effort."