Benjamin Mays 1895 - 1984 - Fulton Co., Atlanta, GA
Posted by: Lat34North
N 33° 45.289 W 084° 24.902
16S E 739431 N 3737973
This marker to Benjamin Mays 1895 – 1984 is located on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in the West End district of Atlanta, GA.
Waymark Code: WM7W4C
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 12/11/2009
Views: 2
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.