Taulbert, Clifton L. 1945-

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TAULBERT, Clifton L. 1945-

(Clifton Lemoure Taulbert)

PERSONAL: Born February 19, 1945, in Glen Allan, MS; son of a preacher and Mary (Morgan) Taulbert; married, December 22, 1973; wife's name Barbara Ann; children: Marshall Danzy, Anne Kathryn. Education: Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, OK, bachelor's degree; Southwest Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, graduate degree. Hobbies and other interests: National Volunteer for National Arthritis Foundation.

ADDRESSES: Office—The Building Community Institute, 717 South Houston Ave., Ste. 508, Tulsa, OK 74127; fax: 918-584-0415.

CAREER: University Village Inc., Tulsa, OK, former administrator, beginning in 1972; Bank of Oklahoma, Tulsa, former vice president of marketing; Freemount Corporation, Tulsa, former president; Building Community Institute, Tulsa, OK, currently founder and president. Board member, Tulsa United Way, Thomas Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa Goodwill Industry, and the Business Industrial Development Corp.; executive board member, Tulsa Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. Military service: U.S. Air Force, 1964–68; became sergeant.

AWARDS, HONORS: National Management Association (Oklahoma chapter), Manager of the Year, 1989; NAACP Image Award for Literature, Mississippi Arts and Letters Award for Nonfiction, and Pulitzer Prize nomination, all for The Last Train North.

WRITINGS:

Once upon a Time When We Were Colored (memoir), Council Oak (Tulsa, OK), 1989, published as When We Were Colored, Penguin Books (New York, NY), 1995.

The Last Train North (autobiography), Council Oak (Tulsa, OK), 1992.

Eight Habits of the Heart: The Timeless Values that Build Strong Communities—Within Our Homes and Our Lives, Viking/Dial Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Watching Our Crops Come In (memoir), Viking (New York, NY), 1997.

The Journey Home: A Father's Gift to His Son, Council Oak Books (San Francisco, CA), 2002.

Also contributor to Separate but Equal: The Mississippi Photographs of Henry Clay Anderson, Public Affairs (New York, NY), 2002.

CHILDREN'S FICTION

Little Cliff and the Porch People, illustrated by E.B. Lewis, Dial Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Little Cliff's First Day of School, illustrated by E.B. Lewis, Dial Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Little Cliff and the Cold Place, illustrated by E.B. Lewis, Dial Books (New York, NY), 2002.

SIDELIGHTS: Clifton L. Taulbert is the author of inspirational memoirs and children's fiction that emphasizes the bonds of family and community. Once upon a Time When We Were Colored, for example, is his memoir of growing up in a small Mississippi town during the waning days of segregation. Instead of emphasizing the tense racial situation of the South, "Taulbert portrays those close to him—his mother, grandparents, an extended family of aunts and uncles—as people who were "wryly cognizant of segregation but … decided to enjoy life anyway," reported Rosemary L. Bray in the New York Times Book Review. Recalling his education at the "colored" school fifty miles away and his labor as a field hand during the summers, Taulbert nonetheless presents his childhood in what Bray described as "loving memories." A Kirkus Reviews critic, pointing out Taulbert's mention of the harsh realities of the era that faced blacks (such as accepting voting as "white folks' business"), called Once upon a Time When We Were Colored "a heartfelt testament to a beleaguered people."

A second autobiography, the Pulitzer Prize-nominated The Last Train North, tells of Taulbert's departure from the Mississippi Delta after his graduation with honors from high school. It then continues through his service in the U.S. Air Force during the 1960s. A notable section of the book depicts the author's first meeting with his preacher father in St. Louis—"the man left the bewildered youth with relatives … and informed him that they 'probably' would not have a relationship," summed up a critic in Kirkus Reviews. In Publishers Weekly Genevieve Stuttaford praised The Last Train North, declaring that "a sense of optimism infuses this winning illustrated memoir."

In Watching Our Crops Come In Taulbert continues with his series of memoirs, focusing on the years from 1963 to 1968, a pivotal time both in the author's life and in the history of the United States. Surrounding his story of serving in the Air Force and his increasing social awareness of the price to be paid for freedom are the tumultuous happenings of the time, from the Civil Rights movement to the war in Vietnam and America's rebellious youth. A Publishers Weekly contributor noted that the author's "eloquent memoir offers a stirring picture of the birth of the new South." Thomas J. Davis, writing in the Library Journal, called the memoir a "reminiscence of social change reflected in an individual life."

Taulbert is also the author of a series of children's books illustrated by E.B. Lewis and featuring Little Cliff. In Little Cliff and the Porch People Taulbert tells the story of Little Cliff, who is on his way to the store to get some ingredients for his grandmother's candied sweet potatoes. Along the way, he meets various people in the community who provide him with what he needs. Later, to Cliff's surprise, they show up for the evening's dinner. A Publishers Weekly contributor called the tale "an expertly told story warm with nostalgia for the tightly knit black communities of the South in the '50s." Hazel Rochman, writing in Booklist, observed: "The appeal of Taulbert's picture book may be less for children than for nostalgic adults who read to them."

Little Cliff's First Day of School finds Cliff getting ready for school only to become frightened when it is time to go. Although he tries to hide, he is soon discovered by his grandmother, who takes him to school, where he sees children at play. "Clifton Taulbert's leisurely telling lends warmth and nuance to the simple events," wrote a Horn Book contributor. Cliff becomes enamored with Alaska after a school lesson in Little Cliff and the Cold Place. Cliff thinks his family can drive there, but then learns that it is too far away. But his Pappa Joe has an old friend who was stationed in Alaska while in the service, and he comes over to show Cliff some pictures. In addition, Poppa Joe decides to take Cliff ice fishing. A Kirkus Reviews contributor praised the effort, adding: "It's to be hoped there will be many more to come."

Taulbert's optimistic view of life, family, and community is also carried over into his nonfiction work, which includes the self-help book Eight Habits of the Heart: The Timeless Values that Build Strong Communities—Within Our Homes and Our Lives. Here, the author discusses building good communities and relationships based on eight principles he developed from the wisdom of his elders while growing up.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Taulbert, Clifton, Once upon a Time When We Were Colored, Council Oak (Tulsa, OK), 1989.

Taulbert, Clifton, The Last Train North, Council Oak (Tulsa, OK), 1992.

Taulbert, Clifton, Watching Our Crops Come In, Viking (New York, NY), 1997.

Taulbert, Clifton, The Journey Home: A Father's Gift to His Son, Council Oak Books (San Francisco, CA), 2002.

PERIODICALS

Black Issues Book Review, November-December, 2001, Janine Gardner, review of Eight Habits of the Heart: The Timeless Values that Build Strong Communities—Within Our Homes and Our Lives, p. 74; January-February, 2003, Evette Porter, review of Separate but Equal: The Mississippi Photographs of Henry Clay Anderson, p. 18.

Booklist, February 15, 1999, Hazel Rochman, review of Little Cliff and the Porch People, p. 1077; November 1, 2002, Michael Cart, review of Little Cliff and the Cold Place, p. 509; November 15, 2002, Vanessa Bush, review of Separate but Equal, p. 551.

Horn Book, July, 2001, review of Little Cliff's First Day of School, p. 446.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 1989, review of Once upon a Time When We Were Colored, p. 682; May 15, 1992, review of The Last Train North, p. 662; August 1, 2002, review of Little Cliff and the Cold Place, p. 1145.

Library Journal, February 15, 1997, Thomas J. Davis, review of Watching Our Crops Come In, p. 143.

New York Times Book Review, February 18, 1990, Rosemary L. Bray, review of Once upon a Time When We Were Colored, p. 9.

Publishers Weekly, May 25, 1992, Genevieve Stuttaford, review of The Last Train North, p. 44; November 25, 1996, review of Watching Our Crops Come In, p. 60; January 11, 1999, review of Little Cliff and the Porch People, p. 71.

School Library Journal, June, 2001, Marianne Saccardi, review of Little Cliff's First Day at School, p. 131; September, 2002, Adele Greenlee, review of Little Cliff and the Cold Place, p. 207.