Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays was born on August 1, 1894. Remembered mostly for his close friendship with Martin Luther King Jr. and his presidential tenure at Morehouse College, Dr. Mays left a lasting impression on academia and the civil rights movement.
Born to former slaves-turned-tenant farmers, Mays was the youngest of eight children. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Bates College and earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.
An ordained Baptist minister, Mays served as Dean of the School of Religion at Howard University before becoming president of Morehouse College in 1940. There, he inspired students like Martin Luther King Jr. and introduced significant academic changes.
After retiring from Morehouse, Mays served as president of the Atlanta Board of Education and continued to influence education and civil rights until his death in 1984.
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