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Educator and politician Mary Taylor Christian was
born on July 9, 1924 in Hampton, Virginia. Her mother
was a homemaker and her father was a businessman. In
1941 she earned her high school diploma from Phenix
High School in Hampton where she was a member
of the National Honor Society, basketball, drama and
debate teams. After graduation she married her high
school sweetheart and by the time she was 19 she was a
divorced mother of two.
While working in the laundry at Hampton
University she began taking typing courses and
eventually landed a secretarial job at the University.
She was encouraged by her mentor to further her
studies and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in
education in 1955. From 1955 until 1960 she worked
as a teacher at Hampton city schools. During the
summers she attended Columbia University, where
she earned her Masters degree in Speech and Drama in
1960. In 1968 she earned her PhD from Michigan State
University while working as a professor at Hampton
University. In 1968 Christian helped organize a voter
registration drive at Hampton which resulted in more
than a thousand people registering to vote.
Dr. Christian began her civic service as a teacher
at Aberdeen Elementary School in 1960 and held this
position for 6 years before moving on to Hampton
University. At Hampton, she started as an Instructor in
the Education Department before becoming a Professor,
then rose to Chair the Education Department in 1970,
followed by becoming Dean of the School of Education
in 1980, and in 1987 she became Professor Emeritus.
Christian was the first African American to serve on
the Hampton City School Board. She worked as a
Dr. Mary T. Christian
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Birthday
Celebration
Photos submitted by
Dr. Christian’s grandson, Darren Toler
Dr. Christian’s two grandsons, Darren and Garvis Toler, III.
Dr. Christian’s husband of 59 years, Wilbur “Chuck" Christian.
