MAPLE HEIGHTS, Ohio — Sometimes, when we least expect it, we have a brush with history. For one Maple Heights resident, it happened decades ago after he took a job as a personal driver. That job, which started out paying $6, would later enrich his life with something money can’t buy.
Knowledge can be passed through history and time; for Clarence Bozeman, it came when he didn't expect it.
Bozeman went to Alabama State University in Montgomery, where, during his college years, the dean sent him a letter recommending him for a job driving around a preacher and his family. That preacher was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The next day, Bozeman went to the King’s house, where the civil rights leader interviewed him for the job.
“He and I sat and talked for about 20 minutes, and finally, he said 'Well, okay, I'll give you job.' He asked me — did I have a good driving record, that I have license, all of the above,” Bozeman said. “He told me what he expected of me, that is courteousness, and being on time and make sure that everybody was placed accurately where they were supposed to be — students, senior citizens and others.”
So, from 1958 to 1960, two to three times a month, Bozeman drove King to speaking engagements across Alabama. He also drove King’s wife, Coretta Scott King.
Bozeman said at that time, he knew about the civil rights leader’s work leading the Montgomery bus boycott, but in his eyes, he saw King as a preacher — a preacher who paid him $6, or sometimes more, for being his personal driver.
Sometimes, those trips took hours and at the wheels of history. During those drives, Bozeman said King would always sit in the front seat, and they would talk about all kinds of things, from education to the Civil Rights Movement and religion.
“He could focus on a subject and give you small nuances about a subject. Be it love, be it hope, be it forgiveness, be it Napoleon, be it the Vietnam War, and he could captivate audiences with his speaking,” said Bozeman.
He had the opportunity to hear King speak on multiple occasions. It wasn't until after his brush with history that Bozeman realized those long drives were about the journey, not the destination.
“Because I was 21 years old, it never dawned on me who I was driving. It was the impact of his philosophy — began to grow on me when I got older,” said Bozeman.
Bozeman went on to pursue a career educating those just like him. Bozeman graduated from Alabama State University with a major in American history and social studies. Later, he received a master’s degree in education administration and an education specialist degree. After teaching and lots of learning of his own, he worked at the National Urban League in New York. Then he made his way to Cleveland, where he would teach and retire as a principal of Shaw High School.
But his work isn’t done yet.
“You know, I still feel that me driving Dr. King, was really a not a historical event to me. I've had a chance to meet him personally,” Bozeman said. “But to me, I think my mission right now is to spread his philosophy, spread his word and make this world a better place in which we are living now.”
In his retirement, Bozeman is a civil rights lecturer. He speaks to people all over about the Civil Rights Movement and the history of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Though King isn't here today, Bozeman ensures that his influence and wisdom are still passed on.
“Before you have any sip of coffee tomorrow, ask yourself no, no, tell yourself that if I can help somebody along the way, then my living shall not be in vain,” said Bozeman.
