David O. Boone started at Bates in 1958 because his community looked out for its own. As a minority student fresh out of the military and looking to go to college, he turned to a network of educators, preachers, and businessmen within the minority community of New Jersey.

"As a school that has had a reputation of having minority students since before the turn of the century, people referred you to Bates," said Boone '62. In particular, he said, most ministers knew and recommended Bates as an accessible institution from their knowledge of Benjamin Mays's experiences as a Bates student. And so, he chose to attend the small, liberal-arts college in Maine.

Nor did he ever become dissatisfied with his selection. Graduating with a degree in economics, he was a class officer and a varsity player on the track and football teams. "I wasn't disappointed. With the absence of fraternities, I was really able to fold into the life of the College," said Boone.

Boone has continued to remain active as an alumnus by promoting Bates. After graduation, he informally provided the same sort of advice he had received to others in his community interested in attending the College. He helped recruit minority students for Bates, by sharing his insight and experiences, as well as outlining other options open to them.

"When I left Bates, I felt I had experienced a really special educational experience ... and I wanted to share that," said Boone. "It deserves your support. What we're doing here ... deserves to be perpetuated and supported."

Since that time Boone has become one of Bates's leading alumni. He became a Trustee in 1988, and a member of the Board of Fellows in 1991-1992. In 1979, he served as vice chairman for the Campaign for Bates College. In a very real way, Boone is one of many alumni who have been responsible for ensuring that the Bates experience is perpetuated for future generations.

Of course, Boone has had a more personal motivation recently. His daughter, Karin Boone Mazzoni, graduated from Bates in 1987. Karin is one of three daughters Boone and his wife of thirty-two years, Carol Huntington '63, raised. His other daughters are Dana, age twenty-four, and Nicole, who graduated from Denison last year.

While his daughters are just beginning to face the prospect of life after college, Boone can rest easy that the world they face is less restricted than the one he faced after graduation. "There weren't a lot of opportunities. Some industries were closed to us," he remembered. He interviewed with the few companies that showed interest in hiring minorities.

Within five to seven years, the whole complexion of the country changed, however, and as companies began to search proactively for minority executives, Boone saw his opportunity. Observing a paucity in the field of minority executive recruitment, Boone and William Young '64 began their own management consulting firm, Boone, Young and Associates, Inc., in 1968. "We felt that we could just do the job better," he said.

The firm then used their contacts and references to fill these new needs of corporate America. Boone returned to his community for those very business contacts, completing the cycle of community development.

As president and chairman, Boone also used these contacts to recruit for his own company, enabling it to diversify and grow. The firm began with government contracts, mainly evaluating the effectiveness of many federal programs. These programs have ranged from a National Family Planning Technical Assistance contract, which tracked the effectiveness of child-care programs of varying size, location, and complexity, to directing technical-assistance contracts with the Department of Commerce and the Sickle Cell Disease Program.

Later, Boone initiated, coordinated, and successfully completed the acquisition of three manufacturing companies located in Ohio. These companies are now fully owned subsidiaries of Boone, Young and Associates, Inc.

The story of David Boone is the story of a community. As the product of a society that looked out for its own, all his life he has sought to help others from his community in schooling and in business. And as an active alumnus, he has ensured that the "special educational experience" he enjoyed is passed down to future generations ... to future communities.

David Kociemba '96