Mr. Bill Cosby, Reverend Jeremiah Wright and Dr. Stephen DeFelice

Practically everyone knows that Bill Cosby is one of America’s beloved comedians. Many know that Jeremiah Wright was President Obama’s controversial pastor. Nobody knows that I first brought carnitine into the United States and conducted the first clinical study with it in hyperthyroid patients.

So what do we all have in common? We all attended Central High School during the fifties. Central, at that time was one of the most prestigious public schools in America. It was an all male school and one had to pass a tough test in order to be admitted. The student body ranged from the rich to the poor and students came from all over the city. The teachers were inspiring and the classes very much alive. You may not believe this but I used to wake up in the morning and, despite the long commute, couldn’t wait to enter those exciting halls of teaching. Most of us loved Central.

Cosby was a year behind me and Wright entered either my senior year or shortly thereafter. Cosby’s Central buddy was James DePriest, the nephew of Toscanini’s favorite contralto, Marian Anderson, and now the conductor of the Oregon Symphony Orchestra. For the record, Cosby, DePriest and Wright are black and I’m Italian. Notice I didn’t say I am “white” for most of my Italian and other friends believe that Italians are, indeed, not white!

Before I go on here’s a quick entertaining story: About 5 years ago I was at the Le Cirque restaurant in Manhattan when Bill Cosby walked in. I began to sing the beginning notes of the Central High school song. His countenance lighted up, joined me in song, and we talked about our great days at Central for a long time. We both were Barnwell Honor Roll winners and, would you believe, he was proudly wearing his Barnwell pin on his lapel. We then got up and sang the school song to the bewilderment of the folks dining at the tables, let alone the management.

Not too long after I left Central something happened that was a disturbing harbinger of things to come. It involved what I think was called at the time Girls High. It was an all girls school with a fine academic reputation. Anyway, the parents of one of the girl students sued Central for excluding girls. The courts not only agreed to end the all boys status but limited the students to the locality of the neighborhood. So the bright male kids from the poor sections of the city could not attend. Thus a school that produced lots of scientists, physicians, teachers, entrepreneurs, leaders of all sorts and Cosby, DePriest, Wright and me began its downward slide.

I was quite disturbed by this decision not only because of the irreparable damage it did to Central but it represented the beginning of the larger movement of the courts to force equality in our educational system and diminish freedom and quality of our students which, in turn, has weakened our country. Our current court- sanctioned diversity system in our schools is a clear indicator of the push for too much equality and its consequences. It diminishes our country’s intellectual capital.

I’ll keep reminding you in this blog that, freedom, that which made our country great, and equality are eternal enemies. The balance between the two is critical and now the scale is tipping way too much toward the side of equality.