Calvin Kytle
In 2008 at the age of 88, long-time advocate for
racial equality Calvin Kytle finally fulfilled his dream of publishing the
novel
Like A Tree. His n
ovel, written even as Kytle lay bedridden due to
complications from crippling arthritis and spinal disease, tells the tale of
a southern family and their move from South Carolina to Atlanta in the 1930s
and of the progressive Southerners who helped to pave the way for the later
civil-rights movement.
Kytle began his career as a journalist in Georgia, where he helped expose irregularities and outright fraud regarding the counting of African-American votes. His work eventually got him appointed to the Community Relations Service in Washington, D.C. Once ensconced in the bureaucracy, he took a principled stand regarding the reshuffling and moving of the agency. This drew the wrath of President Lyndon Johnson, who fired him.
Kytle moved on to work in public relations in the private sector and eventually retired to Chapel Hill, N.C. He continued to work for racial justice and equality.
Calvin Kytle
passed away only weeks after having seen his book published.
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