Soror Mattelia Bennett Grays, the 18th Supreme Basileus, who passed away on November 2 in Houston, Texas, and has since joined the ranks of the Ivies Beyond the Wall. Soror Mattelia Bennett Grays passed away on November 2 and has since joined the ranks of the Ivies Beyond the Wall. Mattelia has been given the position of Supreme Basileus by the council. Born in Houston, Texas, to the Reverend and Mrs. A.B. Bennett, Mattelia Bennett Grays would go on to become the 18th International President of Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority Incorporated in the years to come. Her family inspired the naming of the sorority that she belonged to.
Bennett received the honor of being named the school's salutatorian when she graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1948. Prior to that, she had attended Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she was initiated into the AKA Sorority in the Beta Upsilon Chapter. During her time at Dillard, she was also a member of the AKA. Her wedding to Horace Grays took place in the same year that she received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Dillard University in 1952. In the same year, she also graduated with that degree. The couple has one daughter who was born into their family and went by the name Karen. They also have a grandchild who was born into their family and went by the name Kristopher John Howard.
After that, Grays attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, which is located in the state of Michigan, and earned a Master of Arts degree in special education with honors from that institution. She went on to acquire a Doctor of Philosophy degree in educational administration from Pacific University in Sacramento, California in the year 1985. This institution is located in the United States. Grays relocated back to Houston so that she could start a career as an educator in the Houston Public Schools. While she was living in Houston, she also worked as a consultant for the Continuous Progress Learning Corporation and served as the principal of the Rogers Educational Enrichment Center.
Grays served as the principal administrator at Rogers Educational Enrichment Center from the years 1970 to 1987. Because of the way she directed operations at the facility, Texas Monthly named it "One of Six Super Schools." This honor was bestowed upon the institution in recognition of her leadership. In addition to that, the institution served as a location for the training of teachers. After spending a number of years working in the Houston Public Schools, she started spending her summers at the University of Houston as a supervisor of laboratory experiences for teachers of children from culturally poor backgrounds. In this role, she was responsible for the teachers' professional development. Her promotion to the position of District Three Superintendent for the Houston Independent School District came in the year 1987.
After transferring her membership in the AKA Sorority to the Alpha Kappa Omega Chapter in Houston, Grays went on to hold the roles of Chapter President and Regional Director for the Sorority's South Central Region. She was elected as the National President of the Sorority in 1968, making her the youngest individual to ever hold that post in the organization's history. The following year, at the sorority's semiannual national conference in 1970, she was formally inducted into her post as president. Grays, in her role as National President of the Sorority, placed a significant focus on the participation of members and was adamant that every member assume her portion of the financial responsibility to the organization. She was the head of the Sorority's endeavor to buy the home where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born, and as part of the transaction, she delivered a check for the amount of $20,000 to Coretta Scott King.
As president of the sorority, her top priorities were to award educational grants, create chapter programs that were tailored to the specific community that the chapter served, and distribute pamphlets about Negro heritage. In addition, she took part in programs designed to develop leadership skills. Grays has lived in the Houston area for a very long time and has remained there ever since she retired from the Houston Independent School District. She has been honored for her accomplishments by a variety of organizations, including the AKA Sorority, which is one of those organizations. Both the South Central Region of AKA Sorority and Booker T. Washington High School in Houston have honored her as an Outstanding Alumna in appreciation of her many accomplishments. The scholarship fund that bears her name was established by the AKA Sorority's South Central Region.
Bennett received the honor of being named the school's salutatorian when she graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1948. Prior to that, she had attended Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she was initiated into the AKA Sorority in the Beta Upsilon Chapter. During her time at Dillard, she was also a member of the AKA. Her wedding to Horace Grays took place in the same year that she received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Dillard University in 1952. In the same year, she also graduated with that degree. The couple has one daughter who was born into their family and went by the name Karen. They also have a grandchild who was born into their family and went by the name Kristopher John Howard.
After that, Grays attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, which is located in the state of Michigan, and earned a Master of Arts degree in special education with honors from that institution. She went on to acquire a Doctor of Philosophy degree in educational administration from Pacific University in Sacramento, California in the year 1985. This institution is located in the United States. Grays relocated back to Houston so that she could start a career as an educator in the Houston Public Schools. While she was living in Houston, she also worked as a consultant for the Continuous Progress Learning Corporation and served as the principal of the Rogers Educational Enrichment Center.
Grays served as the principal administrator at Rogers Educational Enrichment Center from the years 1970 to 1987. Because of the way she directed operations at the facility, Texas Monthly named it "One of Six Super Schools." This honor was bestowed upon the institution in recognition of her leadership. In addition to that, the institution served as a location for the training of teachers. After spending a number of years working in the Houston Public Schools, she started spending her summers at the University of Houston as a supervisor of laboratory experiences for teachers of children from culturally poor backgrounds. In this role, she was responsible for the teachers' professional development. Her promotion to the position of District Three Superintendent for the Houston Independent School District came in the year 1987.
After transferring her membership in the AKA Sorority to the Alpha Kappa Omega Chapter in Houston, Grays went on to hold the roles of Chapter President and Regional Director for the Sorority's South Central Region. She was elected as the National President of the Sorority in 1968, making her the youngest individual to ever hold that post in the organization's history. The following year, at the sorority's semiannual national conference in 1970, she was formally inducted into her post as president. Grays, in her role as National President of the Sorority, placed a significant focus on the participation of members and was adamant that every member assume her portion of the financial responsibility to the organization. She was the head of the Sorority's endeavor to buy the home where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born, and as part of the transaction, she delivered a check for the amount of $20,000 to Coretta Scott King.
As president of the sorority, her top priorities were to award educational grants, create chapter programs that were tailored to the specific community that the chapter served, and distribute pamphlets about Negro heritage. In addition, she took part in programs designed to develop leadership skills. Grays has lived in the Houston area for a very long time and has remained there ever since she retired from the Houston Independent School District. She has been honored for her accomplishments by a variety of organizations, including the AKA Sorority, which is one of those organizations. Both the South Central Region of AKA Sorority and Booker T. Washington High School in Houston have honored her as an Outstanding Alumna in appreciation of her many accomplishments. The scholarship fund that bears her name was established by the AKA Sorority's South Central Region.
Soror Mattelia Bennett Grays, the 18th Supreme Basileus, who passed away on November 2 in Houston, Texas, and has since joined the ranks of the Ivies Beyond the Wall. Soror Mattelia Bennett Grays passed away on November 2 and has since joined the ranks of the Ivies Beyond the Wall. Mattelia has been given the position of Supreme Basileus by the council. Born in Houston, Texas, to the Reverend and Mrs. A.B. Bennett, Mattelia Bennett Grays would go on to become the 18th International President of Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority Incorporated in the years to come. Her family inspired the naming of the sorority that she belonged to.
Bennett received the honor of being named the school's salutatorian when she graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1948. Prior to that, she had attended Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she was initiated into the AKA Sorority in the Beta Upsilon Chapter. During her time at Dillard, she was also a member of the AKA. Her wedding to Horace Grays took place in the same year that she received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Dillard University in 1952. In the same year, she also graduated with that degree. The couple has one daughter who was born into their family and went by the name Karen. They also have a grandchild who was born into their family and went by the name Kristopher John Howard.
After that, Grays attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, which is located in the state of Michigan, and earned a Master of Arts degree in special education with honors from that institution. She went on to acquire a Doctor of Philosophy degree in educational administration from Pacific University in Sacramento, California in the year 1985. This institution is located in the United States. Grays relocated back to Houston so that she could start a career as an educator in the Houston Public Schools. While she was living in Houston, she also worked as a consultant for the Continuous Progress Learning Corporation and served as the principal of the Rogers Educational Enrichment Center.
Grays served as the principal administrator at Rogers Educational Enrichment Center from the years 1970 to 1987. Because of the way she directed operations at the facility, Texas Monthly named it "One of Six Super Schools." This honor was bestowed upon the institution in recognition of her leadership. In addition to that, the institution served as a location for the training of teachers. After spending a number of years working in the Houston Public Schools, she started spending her summers at the University of Houston as a supervisor of laboratory experiences for teachers of children from culturally poor backgrounds. In this role, she was responsible for the teachers' professional development. Her promotion to the position of District Three Superintendent for the Houston Independent School District came in the year 1987.
After transferring her membership in the AKA Sorority to the Alpha Kappa Omega Chapter in Houston, Grays went on to hold the roles of Chapter President and Regional Director for the Sorority's South Central Region. She was elected as the National President of the Sorority in 1968, making her the youngest individual to ever hold that post in the organization's history. The following year, at the sorority's semiannual national conference in 1970, she was formally inducted into her post as president. Grays, in her role as National President of the Sorority, placed a significant focus on the participation of members and was adamant that every member assume her portion of the financial responsibility to the organization. She was the head of the Sorority's endeavor to buy the home where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born, and as part of the transaction, she delivered a check for the amount of $20,000 to Coretta Scott King.
As president of the sorority, her top priorities were to award educational grants, create chapter programs that were tailored to the specific community that the chapter served, and distribute pamphlets about Negro heritage. In addition, she took part in programs designed to develop leadership skills. Grays has lived in the Houston area for a very long time and has remained there ever since she retired from the Houston Independent School District. She has been honored for her accomplishments by a variety of organizations, including the AKA Sorority, which is one of those organizations. Both the South Central Region of AKA Sorority and Booker T. Washington High School in Houston have honored her as an Outstanding Alumna in appreciation of her many accomplishments. The scholarship fund that bears her name was established by the AKA Sorority's South Central Region.
Bennett received the honor of being named the school's salutatorian when she graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1948. Prior to that, she had attended Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she was initiated into the AKA Sorority in the Beta Upsilon Chapter. During her time at Dillard, she was also a member of the AKA. Her wedding to Horace Grays took place in the same year that she received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Dillard University in 1952. In the same year, she also graduated with that degree. The couple has one daughter who was born into their family and went by the name Karen. They also have a grandchild who was born into their family and went by the name Kristopher John Howard.
After that, Grays attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, which is located in the state of Michigan, and earned a Master of Arts degree in special education with honors from that institution. She went on to acquire a Doctor of Philosophy degree in educational administration from Pacific University in Sacramento, California in the year 1985. This institution is located in the United States. Grays relocated back to Houston so that she could start a career as an educator in the Houston Public Schools. While she was living in Houston, she also worked as a consultant for the Continuous Progress Learning Corporation and served as the principal of the Rogers Educational Enrichment Center.
Grays served as the principal administrator at Rogers Educational Enrichment Center from the years 1970 to 1987. Because of the way she directed operations at the facility, Texas Monthly named it "One of Six Super Schools." This honor was bestowed upon the institution in recognition of her leadership. In addition to that, the institution served as a location for the training of teachers. After spending a number of years working in the Houston Public Schools, she started spending her summers at the University of Houston as a supervisor of laboratory experiences for teachers of children from culturally poor backgrounds. In this role, she was responsible for the teachers' professional development. Her promotion to the position of District Three Superintendent for the Houston Independent School District came in the year 1987.
After transferring her membership in the AKA Sorority to the Alpha Kappa Omega Chapter in Houston, Grays went on to hold the roles of Chapter President and Regional Director for the Sorority's South Central Region. She was elected as the National President of the Sorority in 1968, making her the youngest individual to ever hold that post in the organization's history. The following year, at the sorority's semiannual national conference in 1970, she was formally inducted into her post as president. Grays, in her role as National President of the Sorority, placed a significant focus on the participation of members and was adamant that every member assume her portion of the financial responsibility to the organization. She was the head of the Sorority's endeavor to buy the home where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born, and as part of the transaction, she delivered a check for the amount of $20,000 to Coretta Scott King.
As president of the sorority, her top priorities were to award educational grants, create chapter programs that were tailored to the specific community that the chapter served, and distribute pamphlets about Negro heritage. In addition, she took part in programs designed to develop leadership skills. Grays has lived in the Houston area for a very long time and has remained there ever since she retired from the Houston Independent School District. She has been honored for her accomplishments by a variety of organizations, including the AKA Sorority, which is one of those organizations. Both the South Central Region of AKA Sorority and Booker T. Washington High School in Houston have honored her as an Outstanding Alumna in appreciation of her many accomplishments. The scholarship fund that bears her name was established by the AKA Sorority's South Central Region.
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