Oliver Vance is a boy who, like so many others, wants to be cool. His definition of cool is whatever the "big boys" are doing, and Oliver notices that the big boys wear their pants below their waists. Some even show their underwear! Oliver decides to try this new look himself. His mother disapproves, but Oliver is so sure that wearing sagging pants will make him cool that he ignores her warning and leaves the house with his pants sagging and his underwear showing. It doesn't take long before Oliver learns that this new look causes all kinds of unexpected problems.

Maurice A. McBride, MBA is an Assistant Professor of Business at Voorhees College, and has a record of success that spans several professions, including entertainment, transportation, and education.

Before earning a bachelor’s degree in Business Information Systems from Devry University, Mr. McBride was an EMI Capitol Records recording artist with a Billboard top ten hit. After attending DeVry, he earned a master’s degree in both Management and Marketing from American InterContinental University. He was inspirted to write this story because of his concern for a generation of young men coming of age without an understanding of how their appearance could affect their opportunities.

Currently, Mr. McBride is a doctoral candidate majoring in Organizational Management at Capella University. He is a member of the Advisory Board for the Voorhees College North Augusta campus and resides in Waynesboro, Georgia.

Jessica K. Wallace, PhD is a professional educator whose experience ranges form elementary to post-secondary. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Florida State University. While teaching elementary school, she earned a master’s degree in Administration and Supervision from Florida A&M University, and went on to earn a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the institution.

Dr. Wallace has been recognized for her exceptional talent as an educator. Among her many awards are Teacher of the Year in two Florida counties, Glenn-Howell Minority Educator of the Year District Finalist in Leon County, and Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club Teacher of the Year. She is the co-founder and Board Chairperson fo the Imani Dance Program for Youth Development and the Region 1 Director for the Florida After School Alliance. Her professional contributions to the field of education include workshop presentations at state, national, and international conferences. Dr. Wallace is a graduate of Leadership Tallahassee class 27, and currently resides in Tallahassee, Florida.


Anthony B. Jackson began drawing at a very early age, and won his first award for exceptional artistic ability in second grade. Despite his giftedness, Mr. Jackson was not encouraged to cultivate his talent. In fact, he was often told to stop drawing and wasn’t given any tools or supplies to develop his skills. Nevertheless, he did not give up. His first illustrations were drawn from cartoons he watched on television since he did not have any drawing books. In the absence of sketch pads or paper, he drew on folders, newsprint, or whatever he could find, including blank pages from dictionaries or church hymnals.

In high school, Mr. Jackson drew illustrations and a comic strip for the school newspaper, obtained his first paid job as the illustrator of a construction manual, and he earned a letter of commendation from the US Senate in recognition of his outstanding talent. He also entered a AAA poster contest where his submission ranked among the top 10 nationwide. Later in his career, Mr. Jackson designed t-shirts, created logos for schools, and drew signs for the Navy. He even expanded his creativity into other areas by producing music for a gold-record recording artist. Mr. Jackson resides in Keysville, Georgia.