Review of
The
Real McCoy: The Life of an African-American Inventor,
by Wendy Towle ISBN 0590435965
Five out of five stars
Elijah McCoy was
the son of fugitive slaves that lived in Canada. He was born in 1844 in
Ontario, Canada, which was fortunate for his career aspirations and
achievements. As a free person in Canada, he was free to pursue his education,
had his parents remained slaves in Kentucky, it would have been illegal for
Elijah to have received an education.
Like so many young
people that became engineers, Elijah loved to take things apart and then put
them back together again. His aptitude and interest were so great that his
parents sent him to Edinburgh, Scotland to study engineering. When he returned
to the United States, the only job he could get was as a fireman on the
locomotives. Yet, he never stopped thinking and as he oiled the train parts
during stops, Elijah thought of a way that the oil could be applied
automatically. He created and patented an automatic oil cup that worked so
well, the trains could go much further without having to stop for oiling.
Other people
created similar devices, but McCoy’s was superior. With so many pretenders, when
buyers for train lines went looking for automatic oil cups, they asked for the
genuine article designed by McCoy. Therefore, it is reasonable that the
expression, “the real McCoy” originated with people asking for the oil cup designed
by McCoy.
McCoy went on
to invent and patent many other new devices and techniques. It is unfortunate
that he never achieved fame and fortune, he was living in a home for poor,
elderly people when he died. McCoy is an African-American that achieved a great
deal, yet fame, fortune or a significant place in the history books were not
part of it.
Therefore, this
book fills a significant historical hole, giving McCoy some of the recognition
that he deserves. Earned, yet a result of being educated because of his parent’s
flight from slavery.
No comments:
Post a Comment