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The Marquis de Lafayette
Thursday, October 17, 2013
3:00 PM and 6:30 PM
Doctors Bruce and Lee Library
Free and Open to the Public
While still in his teens, the Marquis de Lafayette, through various inheritances, was arguably the wealthiest person in France. Imbued with romantic dreams of freedom and self-rule, he purchased with his personal funds a sea-going vessel. With a handful of friends, he sneaked from his native land and put himself in the service of George Washington as lieutenant-general. His successes brought him respect from his fellow-soldiers and admiration from General Washington. As the “hero of two worlds,” he returned to France where he involved himself in the French Revolution. His sterling reputation, sullied by the shifting upheavals, resulted in his imprisonment where he and his family endured execrable conditions for more than two years. Finally freed, he refused to join the Napoleonic Movement, preferring to farm his extensive holdings with great success. Still spry in his seventies, he visited the United States to expansive welcomes. In 1830, he declined to pursue opportunities to become president of a French Republic. He is buried in Picpus cemetery in a plot now owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Dr. Benjamin Mays, born of slave parents in Epworth, South Carolina, overcame great difficulties to become one the outstanding black leaders of the state. Overcoming repeated rejections, he accepted an academic scholarship at Bates College and finished as the class valedictorian and commencement speaker. Ordained as a Christian minister, he turned to education and built an enviable reputation as professor and, later, as president of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He was awarded 56 honorary degrees. His favorite student was Martin Luther King, Jr., and he was a key player in Dr. King’s career. In his last years, he served as Chair of the Atlanta Board of Education.