Syracuse University

SU alumnus Craig T. Williams '89 visited the Lubin House to hold a discussion and book signing for The Olympian: An American Triumph, his debut novel based upon the first African American to win a gold medal in the Olympics.

Williams told the audience that he has always found inspiration in heroic tales like Robin Hood and Lord of the Rings but was aware that most of those stories didn't feature heroes that he resembled. So Williams' was excited to write The Olympian: An American Triumph and to tell the story of John Baxter Taylor, Jr., a man who grew up in a time of great racial divide, yet rebelled against all odds and goes on to win a gold medal in the 1908 Olympics.

Alumni, friends and even students from the Murry Bergtraum Leadership High School for Business Careers, filled the pergament room to hear Williams speak about this historical moment in our country's history.

Learn more about The Olympian and Williams on his website.

View photos from that evening here.