Dr. Benjamin E. Mays was born on this day in 1894

by

Dr. Benjamin E. Mays retired president of Moore house College, will lead the funeral service on Tuesday, April 6, 1968 in Atlanta of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was slain in Memphis, Tenn., Thursday April 1, 1968 by an assassin's bullet. Mays is a former teacher of King. (AP Photo)
Reading Time: < 1 minute

Born to parents of formerly enslaved people turned tenant farmers, he obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. In 1934, Howard University appointed Mays Dean of the School of Religion, where he served until 1940.

That same year, he landed the position of president at Morehouse College, where he stayed for 27 years.

As a student at Morehouse, a young Martin Luther King Jr. often attended Mays’ popular Tuesday morning chapels. Mays and King developed a close mentorship and friendship that they maintained until King’s assassination. Mays delivered the eulogy at King’s funeral.

Dr. Mays died in Atlanta on March 28, 1984.


Click play to listen to the AURN News report from Clay Cane. Follow @claycane & @aurnonline for more.

advanced divider
advanced divider