Biography

He was a professor and coach of debate and public speaking at Texas Southern University for more than 60 years. He also taught philosophy and religion classes, and was a minister at Mount Horem Baptist Church in Houston. His students included the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rep. Barbara Jordan (D-Tex.).

At age 15, he enrolled at Virginia Union University in Richmond, where he received a bachelor's degree in English. He later graduated from Andover Newton theological school in Massachusetts. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago and had planned a career in the ministry, when he accepted a short-term teaching offer at Texas Southern. After organizing a debate for his philosophy class, he ended up leading the school debate team for several years.

Life under God is what you make of it. If you don't bring anything to life, you won't get anything out of it. You're not here for your enjoyment, but for what contribution you can make to the enjoyment of others.