The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1935-06-06
MRS. BETRUNE

has, almost single-handedly esta-
blished and built up Bethune-Cook
man college, which is recognized
by the. Association Of Colleges and
Secondary Schools Of the South
ern States as standard junior
college"
Born of save parents, Sam and
Patsy Mcleod, In a humble cabin
on rice and cotton farm near
Mayesville, South Carolina, and
one Of family Of seventeen chill
dren, she early gave promise of 6
brilliant career. Graduating from
Scotia Seminary, she won schol-
arship which enabled her to at
tend Moody Bible Institute at Chi
cago. I'll. Returning South, she
became a teacher at Haines Insti-
tute. Augusta, Georgia, under the
late Miss Lucy Laney Later she
taught for two years at Sumter,
S. G., where she married another
teacher, Albert Bethune. and NOV
ed 20 Savannah, Ca, where her
only son, Albert Mcleod Bethune,
was born.
But the call to service came ag
ain. She taught at mission
school at Palatka, Fla. for five
years. During this period she
worked among the prisoners in the
county jail, WELDING a most re-
marlabie influence for good, and
aiding those unjustly accused.
Pounds School for Girls
With burning desire to start
a school for Negro girls. she ar
rived IN Daytona with her young
son and only $1.50 There was
no building, no furniture, no food,
no money, no pupils, but with
characteristic resourcefulness she
rented q cabin on credit, made fur
niture from dry goods boxes and
discarded bits of this and that.
When the little cabin, crude but
scruoulously clean. was in readi-
ness on October 4. 1904, five Gag
et-eyed little black girls respond
ed to her call and Daytona Edu-
cational and industrial Training
School was founded The schools
thirty-two acres Of land were Sc
cured from the sale Of pastry and
sandwiches made by pupils and
teacher. Today on this beautiful
campus are fourteen buildings es-
timated as worth 100000. In
1928 the Daytona Normal and In
dusts.ial Institute was merged with
Goldman Institute of Jacksonville,
Florida and became co-education-
al under the auspices of the Board
Of Education Of the Methodist Ep-
iscopal Church, and is known as
Bethuuee-C Goodman College.
Leader Of Women
Mrs. Bethune was leading spi-
rit in establishing a Home for De-
linquent Girls at Ocala, Florida,
while president of the State AS
sociation of Colored Women. She
has also served with distinction as
president of the Southeastern Fee
Iteration of Womens Clubs, two
terms as president of the Nation
al Association of Colored Women
president of the National Associa-
ton Of Teachers III Colore i Schools
and president of the Florida State
Teachers Association She is also
q member and director ct the Com
mission on Interracial Cooperation,
a member of the National Council
Of Women of America, of the III
teri. ational Council of the Women
Of the World, of the International
Council Of the Women Of the OAR
ker Races, and Of the National
Education Association.
Through her many activities in
the fields of education, social ser
vice and interracial work, she has
created new appreciation Of the
finest Negro womanhood in AM
erica and made a tremendous con-
tribution to the cause of Negro
advancement. In September 1880,
she was named as one Of a group
Of fifty women regarded by the
distinguished writer, Miss Ida M.
Tarbtn, who have done the most
for the welfare of the United
States.
The twelty-first Spingarn Med
al win be awarded to Mrs. Beth
une at the twenty-sixth Annual
Conference Of the N.A.A.C.P. at
St. Louis on the night Of June %,
1885.