Golden Legacy

Bertram A. Fitzgerald, Jr. (b. November 6, 1932, in Harlem, New York;[1] died January 10, 2017, in New York City)[2] became interested in black history thanks to his seventh-grade history teacher, who made sure to highlight the contributions of blacks in various fields.[3] Fitzgerald read Classics Illustrated comic books as a child, but was frustrated to see the African American experience either negatively stereotyped or omitted in their pages.[1]

After serving in the U.S. Air Force, he eventually graduated from Brooklyn College in 1956 with a degree in accounting.[2] By the mid-1960s, at that point employed by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, Fitzgerald decided to create a line of nonfiction comic books to inspire and educate his fellow African Americans.[3][1]

Fitzgerald's goal was to help "develop greater pride and self-esteem in black youngsters and adults." Fitzgerald felt that whites were also harmed by the omission of blacks in the history books. As he said, "It encourages them to think that they made every worthwhile contribution to society, and it misleads them to believe that they are somehow superior."[4]

Contacting former Air Force colleague Leo Carty, Fitzgerald commissioned Carty to write and illustrate a comic book story about Toussaint Louverture and the birth of Haiti. After some difficulty finding a printer willing to print color comics on black history, Fitzgerald now had to find distribution. Shut out of the traditional newsstand distribution system due to the focus on black history, Fitzgerald hooked up with a group of independent distributors called "commission men," who supplied the black community with specialized beauty products and books.[1] The result was the first volume of the Golden Legacy Illustrated History Magazine, published in 1966.

Joan Maynard (as Joan Bacchus), became an early contributor to Golden Legacy. She worked with cartoonist Tom Feelings on the Saga of Harriet Tubman volume (issue #2; 1966). (She later also wrote and pencilled issues about Matthew Henson [issue #5; 1969] and Joseph Cinqué and La Amistad mutiny [issue #10; 1970].)

Although the commission men network enabled Fitzgerald to get his comics to his intended audience, he had trouble collecting payment. After distributing two issues of Golden Legacy this way, Fitzgerald approached the Coca-Cola Company for assistance. He was able to make the case that blacks bought more Coca-Cola per capita than white customers, and that the company should cater more to that audience by supporting his struggling publishing company. Beginning with issue #3, Coke purchased many copies of Golden Legacy in bulk (at a volume discount), distributing them to schools, libraries, churches,[4] and organizations such as the NAACP, the National Urban League and Reading Is Fundamental programs. With Coke's backing, Fitzgerald was also able to connect with better printing services.[1]

The contents of Golden Legacy issue #3, on Crispus Attucks and the Minutemen, had already been created by cartoonist Tom Feelings for another publication; the story was adapted into the third volume of the Golden Legacy series, published in 1967. African-American historian Benjamin Arthur Quarles, then a professor of History at Morgan State College, was brought on as a consultant, and the issue featured a full-color back cover ad for the Coca-Cola Company featuring photos of African American models.[1]

Howard Darden became Fitzgerald's art director with issue #7;[1] he also illustrated volumes on Frederick Douglass (issues #7–8; 1969–1970) and ancient African kingdoms (issue #15; 1972).

Issues #3–11[3] of Golden Legacy were published with the assistance of the Coca-Cola Company, and the series' final issues enjoyed similar sponsorship from such companies as A&P, AT&T, Avon, the Bowery Savings Bank, Columbia Pictures, Equitable Life, Exxon, McDonald's, Philadelphia Electric, and Woolworth's.[1][3]

Golden Legacy's final issue, #16, on the black inventors Lewis Howard Latimer and Granville Woods, was published in 1976.

In 1983, Seattle, Washington-based Bill R. Baylor of Baylor Publishing Co. and Community Enterprizes [sic], fraudulently convinced Fitzgerald's printer that he had bought the business from Fitzgerald. Baylor then used the original plates and negatives to republish the Golden Legacy series under his imprint. Bertram Fitzgerald sued for copyright infringement and won after a five-year court battle. In 1988 he got the negatives back and was able to publish his own comics again. Baylor, meanwhile, disappeared and never paid the damages he had been assessed by the court.[3][1]

In 1970 Fitzgerald Publishing produced a single issue of the public service publication Drugs... Where It's At, which Fitzgerald wrote and was illustrated by Tony Tallarico.[1] Tallarico was known for co-creating Lobo in 1965, the first comic book title to star an African-American hero. (Tallarico also illustrated some stories in Golden Legacy.)

Fitzgerald Publishing followed the Golden Legacy series with seven issues of the integrated teen humor comic Fast Willie Jackson in 1976 and 1977. It was written by Fitzgerald and illustrated by Gus Lemoine.[1]