Exploits of some current celebrities prove they are not worthy as role models. Charles M. Aulino offers obscure details of people worthy of emulation in his forthcoming book, Lesser-Known Giants of the Twentieth Century. These giants are remembered by awards, associations, name-sake schools, and tributes in Time magazine. However, they still have amazing untold stories to share.
“With few exceptions, it seems that fame is ephemeral,” says Charles Aulino. “What a pity that wonderful stories fade from collective memory so that the life lessons and inspiration they offer are lost to future generations.”
Aulino wrote Lesser-Known Giants of the Twentieth Century, to shed light on these worthy legends, share some of the little-known remarkable facts and nuggets of inspiration from their lives, but also so we can learn from some of their lifes’ lessons. These giants were Polish, Italian, Jewish, German, African- American, and Palestinian. They hail from professional sports, politics, journalism, entertainment, academe, and banking.
The book reveals the lives of:
• I.J. Paderewski, world-renowned pianist and signatory of the Treaty of Versailles
• A.P. Giannini, founder of Bank of America and friend of enterprising immigrants
• Moe Berg, intellectual baseball player and spy
• Max Schmeling, world heavyweight champion and reluctant symbol of Nazi power
• Joe Louis, winner of “the fight of the century” against Schmeling and advocate of African-Americans in the U.S. military
• Branch Rickey, architect of baseball’s farm-team system and terminator of segregation in Major League Baseball
• Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman nominated by a major party for U.S. president and champion of civil liberties and civil rights
• Medgar Evers, field secretary for The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Mississippi at the zenith of the civil rights struggle
• Katharine Graham, head of the Washington Post and overseer of the Watergate coverage that led to President Nixon’s resignation
• Paul Winchell, legendary ventriloquist and inventor of the artificial heart
• Edward Said, intellectual who brought the Western world’s attention to the plight of the Palestinians in Israel
“After learning the amazing life story of Paderewski, it occurred to me that there must be other people who accomplished great things in life, became celebrities as a result, but whose stars have grown faint over time,” says Aulino. “In today’s world, we can greatly benefit from the lessons of their lives.”
Charles M. Aulino, J.D., LL.M. is an attorney with more than 30 years of experience in estate, trust, tax, and financial planning and practice. He is currently serving as first vice president and director of financial planning for The Glenmede Trust Company, N.A., Investment Manager of the Pew Charitable Trusts. Aulino received his B.A. from Rutgers University, J.D., cum laude, from Seton Hall University of Law, and LL.M. (in taxation) from New York University. In his spare time, Aulino is a serious amateur pianist and private pilot. Aulino lives in Voorhees, with his wife, Annette.
