He persevered as a world-class sprinter even though fate kept Olympic Gold out of his reach. He dropped out of high school but returned to finish school and went to college on a scholarship. He was injured in 1916 resulting in being paralyzed on this left side. Everyone said he'd never run again but he recovered and continued to sprint with a slight bend. He insisted on being "treated like a man" during an era of pervasive racism. When his career in track was over he continued to set his sights high as an attorney and later as the first African-American judge in Connecticut.