For a Good Cause

By Peter Kafaf

The book brings together three young men from vastly different backgrounds. One an Afro American, one a Jew, and the other a Wasp. They all applied and were accepted to the Harvard M B A program. They were assigned by Harvard to share the same room and in time became closer than brothers. Because each was interested in different charities they developed a plan that would provide each charity with millions of dollars, but would never identify them as the benefactors. The action they took to collect the funds was highly unusual but since it was for a good cause, they concluded that it was justified. Though the book is a fiction there are many similarities to real and actual events. If for any reason someone is offended by the books contents the author truly apologizes. One last thought as we go through life and review the worlds history, world leaders and nations committed similar acts as the Harvard Three, and always as far as they were concerned it was for a good cause.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Nov 22, 2013
• ISBN: 9781490719948

Peter Kafaf

I am qualified to write this book because I am a mature individual and being 87 years old have experienced much of what life has to offer. To be honest I never ever thought I would author a book but something drove me and I ended up writhing this book. I am a World War 2 veteran (Navy). I worked and retired from the Internal Revenue Service.

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© Copyright 2013 Peter Kafaf.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4907-1996-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4907-1995-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4907-1994-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013921116

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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Contents

Jim Olive Jr.

Nathan David

Philip Spencer

Arrival at Harvard

The Plan

The Organization

Danny the Goat

Dr. John

Danny’s Demise

The Ride Home

John P. Sheridan

US Royalty

Twenty-Five-Billion-Dollar President

The Preacher Man

True Royalty

Professor James E. Curtis

James Patrick Fitzgerald Jr.

Jim Olive Jr.

J im Olive Jr. was born and raised in Newark. Jim was Afro-American, but when Jim was born, people of color were not referred to as Afro-Americans or blacks. They were considered by whites to be colored people. The street that Jim lived on housed mostly Afro-Americans; however, across the street from where Jim lived was an Irish bar called the Irish Rambler, and a few doors up from the bar was a Jewish family whose father was a junk dealer and the son was a catcher on the Irish Rambler’s baseball team. Like most of the people in the neighborhood, Jim’s family eked out a living. His father, Jim Sr. (or Big Jim as he was often called), was a longshoreman; and his mother, Lucy, was a domestic. It was not the best of times for the economy of the country, and being black made it more difficult. Jim’s father, Big Jim, was a proud man, and he worked very hard to provide the basics for his family. At times, he became very frustrated because he felt that he and his family would be very limited in what they could accomplish because of the color of their skin. When Big Jim got depressed and blue, he would go down to the corner and visit with Mike who operated a dry-cleaning store. Over the years, Mike, who was white and from a Middle Eastern country, and Big Jim became very close friends. At these meetings, they would discuss both worldly and everyday family problems. Jim Sr. relished these meetings because Mike would listen to what Big Jim had to say, and if he agreed or disagreed, he would let Jim finish his thoughts.

Jim knew that Mike’s formal education was very limited, but his observations were always rational and to the point. At times, when Jim Sr. vocalized his frustration with life and what the future had in store for his son because he was black, Mike told him that the most important thing he could do for his son was make sure he received an excellent education.

As time went on, Jim Sr. felt that, as far as Mike was concerned, the only way to fight obstacles placed in your path was by education and knowledge. Outside of his push for education, Mike would be relatively quiet, and Big Jim would do most of the talking. Jim Sr. always felt that Mike knew more about his feelings than he knew about Mike’s. At times, he suspected Mike was hiding or concealing some secret, and if he was right, he wondered what it was.

At one of these meetings, Big Jim was in a very angry mood and, out of sheer frustration, started blaming Mike—only because he was white—for the ills of the colored people. He blamed Mike for holding his people down by enslaving them and not giving them the opportunity to get ahead. As far as he was concerned, Mike was the reason that his people lived in black ghettos. He must have raved and ranted for over an hour, yelling and screaming at poor Mike. During his outburst, he swore he saw a little tear roll down Mike’s face but said nothing about the tear. Others would have asked him to leave or physically thrown him out of the store

When Mike was convinced that Jim had finished his say and had quieted down, he started to talk. Jim he said, "it’s good, when things are bothering you, to get them off your chest. Because if you don’t let it out once in a while, it will churn your insides out, and in the long run, you will suffer because of what others have done. Your suffering will not only affect you but also those you love and cherish the most. Sure, because of your color, you and your people suffered. And yes, because of the color of your skin, people are going to hate and look down on you. And yes, you are going to be denied things you are entitled to—so what. Are you going to just accept this fate and complain and live miserably? Or is there something you can do? Maybe it’s too late for you, but don’t instill in your beautiful son such negative feelings. Don’t make him a loser. I am only a tailor and presser, but I am going to preach to you to pound your son with education. Stay on him day and night to learn the basics—English, math, and science. Teach him to think and reason, but above all, make sure he utilizes common sense. Tell him that because he is colored or black doesn’t make him stupid. Give him self-worth. Sure, it may be harder for him to succeed because he is colored, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t become successful. All it means is that he has to work harder and be tougher than the white kids. Is it fair? No—but that’s life. Don’t let him accept defeat. Teach him to ignore rejection. Jim, push him, push him, push him, and then push him some more."

When Big Jim left Mike’s shop that day, he was in a state of confusion. He went in hating Mike because he was white and left not knowing whether he hated or loved him. Deep down, he knew. Nevertheless, what Mike had said entered his mind, and knowing it or not, it influenced the way he raised his son. The poor kid did not know what hit him. But from that day on, education was the topic every day, and Jim Jr. knew he had to excel in school or else. The first inclination that things were to change in Jim Jr.’s life was that he could no longer read the local newspaper, which had great comic strips. His father bought the NY Times, and Jim Jr. had to read it from front to back each day. Jim Jr. never knew it, but that one day that Jim Sr. and Mike had their tête-à-tête, Jim Jr.’s life changed.

In addition to being an outstanding student, Jim Jr. was an excellent athlete. When he graduated high school, he