Against all odds, the son of a janitor from North Philadelphia earned degrees from Penn State University and from Harvard Law School.
He became a trial lawyer, then a corporate lawyer at one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. And then he became its chairman and chief executive officer—the first Black man to serve as CEO of a major pharmaceutical company.

Kenneth Frazier’s father only had a third-grade education, but he and his mother emphasized to their children the importance of bettering themselves. (Courtesy photo)
