Benjamin Mays 1895 - 1984

The son of a Southern tenant farmer, Benjamin Mays was educated at Bates College in Main and at the University of Chicago. An ordained Baptist minister, Mays began his Atlanta career as pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church. After teaching at several collages Mays became president of Morehouse College in 1940, a position he held until 1967. He influenced a generation of "Morehouse men," including Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1969, Mays became the first African American to serve on the Atlanta Board of Education and later, became its president. As a religions leader, he advocated a church commitment to progressive political change. As an educator he demanded equity and excellence from his students, colleagues, and city.

Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.

Original page, with additional info, here.

Photo credit: Byron Hooks of Lat34North.com.