"I was intrigued. There was nothing current on him. No books, no account of him among classicists. That's when I decided I would see what I could find out," said Ronnick. She located Scarborough's autobiographical manuscript in the archives of the Ohio Historical Society. "I read it and couldn't believe this primary source was sitting here unnoticed and not in print," said Ronnick, who made it her mission and her passion to share the story of this "American hero of the intellect" with the world.

Ronnick will sign copies of her critically acclaimed book, with a forward by noted Harvard scholar, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Tues., Jan. 25, 2005 from noon until 2:30 p.m. at the Wayne State University Barnes & Noble bookstore on the corner of Warren and Cass.

This compelling autobiography traces Scarborough's journey from slavery in Macon, Ga., through his prolific scholarly career that culminated with his presidency of Wilberforce University in Ohio.

Ronnick makes Scarborough's long-neglected and inspiring narrative come alive through an exploration of a wide variety of sources such as census records, church registries, period newspapers and military and university records.

"William Sanders Scarborough, a respected classicist, when the classics represented the ultimate in learned knowledge, embodied the living refutation of white supremacy in the late nineteenth century. The twentieth century was all too quick to forget him. Michele Ronnick's edition of Scarborough's autobiography brings him back to life, with all its promise, achievement and frustration," wrote Nell Irvin Painter, Edwards Professor of American History, at Princeton University.

Wayne State University is a premier institution offering more than 350 academic programs through 12 schools and colleges to more than 33,000 students.