Hanging the Moon

the long version

"This biography offers a portrait of the gifted entrepreneur and business tycoon, John W. Rollins, Sr. The author places him at the center of a world dominated by global commerce, where the businessman rivals the statesman as a figure of power. Like the producer who remains invisible behind the actors onstage, the master of commerce puts into play the elements that make up the world as we know it." "Employing interviews with those who knew and worked with him, Drury Pifer depicts the world of the Rollins family where doing business has the resonance of a religious vocation. Deep commitment and years of ceaseless labor convert a dream into commercial conquest. Ebullient John and his brother Wayne discover their talent for turning derelict companies into money machines, learning as they go. Starting with absolutely no capital, John borrows just enough to buy his first Ford car franchise in the forties. Working from dark to dark, he adds others. He soon conceives the idea of leasing, becomes a pioneer in the formulation of America's "service industry," then partners with Wayne to set up the first network of radio stations run by and for African Americans."--Jacket.