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Dr. James B. Hill, the grandson of
Napoleon Hill, will deliver the keynote address at the annual
Napoleon Hill Day at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise.
The public is invited to attend the
event, which begins at 1 p.m. in the Chapel of All Faiths on Oct.
26.
When Dr. Hill was 12, his grandfather
gave him $10, some advice, and an autographed copy of Think and Grow
Rich, Napoleon Hill’s influential book. He says he spent the money,
ignored the advice, and lost the book. However, he says his
grandfather’s book would later change his life.
Napoleon Hill was born in poverty in
a one-room cabin on the Pound River on Oct. 26, 1883. From these
humble beginnings, the Wise County native became an advisor to
presidents and a best-selling author.
During the early 20th century, Hill
interviewed the nation’s most successful business leaders, including
Andrew Carnegie and Henry Ford. Hill compiled his eight-volume set
The Law of Success, a collection of the philosophy of individual
achievement. He later condensed his research to compile Think and
Grow Rich, often called one of the most important motivational books
ever written.
Dr. Hill, born in Morgantown, W.Va.,
is the son of David Hill, the youngest son of Napoleon Hill and
Florence Hornor. He graduated from high school in 1966 and spent
time in the Merchant Marines until 1969, when he was drafted into
service as a private with the United States Marine Corps.
By 1973, he had been promoted five
times to the rank of staff sergeant and given the opportunity to
attend Vanderbilt University, where he spent three years earning a
bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
At graduation, Hill was commissioned
as a second lieutenant in the Marines. He commenced military service
as a field artillery officer. He later earned a master’s degree in
mathematics from the Naval Postgraduate School.
As an officer, he held command twice,
led a team of military advisors into Southeast Asia, briefed the
Soviet General Staff, served as aide-de-camp to two Marine Corps
generals, taught mathematics at the U.S. Naval Academy, and served
in many critical billets at the battery, battalion, and regimental
level. He is certified in scuba, mountain, cold weather, and jungle
warfare and is a graduate of the Army’s Command and General Staff
College.
In 1995, he retired from the Marine
Corps, after 26 years of service, to study medicine. At the age of
53, he graduated from medical school and started a three-year
residency in family medicine. Dr. Hill is now board-certified in
family medicine and holds certifications in wound care and
hyperbaric medicine. |
