Mrs. Mary McLeod ... school expanded to include 250 students just two years later. The school gained in popularity and eventually merged with the Cookman Institute for Men in Jacksonville to form ...

Mary McLeod Bethune was born in 1875 to former slaves. Found school for girls in 1904 with only $1.50. Friendship with first lady leads to federal appointment at National Youth Administration ...

Born Mary Jane McLeod, Bethune was the 15th of 17 children. She grew up on a farm in South Carolina and began working in the fields when she was 5. The only child in her family to be educated, she ...