(cont'd from yesterday's post)
Elijah had generous parents. Runaway slaves who returned to the American North, they were poor - but saved enough to send their son to Scotland for training in his obvious talent, mechanical engineering. He couldn't have succeeded there without some basic virtues, like diligence and delayed gratification (sticking it out through the difficult times far from home).
Born free in the 1800's, Elijah McCoy developed skills and virtues within his chosen profession in order to make his unique contribution to society. As an important part of the drive for railroad innovation, he earned 57 patents, a reputation for quality, and a good living as an entrepreneur . . all while others of his race were enslaved in the South.
He built a good name for himself that lasted a hundred years in the English lexicon, "the real McCoy."
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