Mary McLeod Bethune’s Daytona Legacy

Published June 30, 2026 · Updated June 30, 2026

Mary McLeod Bethune was an educator and civil rights leader who founded a school in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1904 that grew into Bethune-Cookman University. Born to formerly enslaved parents, she advised five U.S. presidents and, near the end of her life, wrote a famous “Last Will and Testament” leaving not money but values. Here’s her extraordinary Florida legacy.

Some people leave behind money. Mary McLeod Bethune left behind a university, a movement, and a letter to her people that’s still read today. She built almost all of it from Daytona Beach, and her life is one of the most inspiring in Florida history.

The short version

July 10, 1875 — Born near Mayesville, South Carolina, to formerly enslaved parents
1880s–90s — Educated on scholarship; trains as a teacher
October 1904 — Founds a school for Black girls in Daytona Beach with just a handful of students
1925 — Her school merges to become Bethune-Cookman College, now a university
1935 — Founds the National Council of Negro Women
1936–1942 — Serves in FDR’s administration as part of his “Black Cabinet”
May 18, 1955 — Dies in Daytona Beach; buried on the campus she built

Three turning points

Founding a school with almost nothing. In 1904, with a tiny sum, immense faith, and six students, Bethune opened a school for Black girls in Daytona Beach. She and her students made ink from elderberries and benches from crates. From that beginning grew a full college. Few people have built so much from so little.

Becoming a national leader. Bethune’s work in Daytona Beach lifted her to the national stage. She founded the National Council of Negro Women, advised presidents, and became the most prominent Black woman in American public life, all while rooted in Florida. She was the only Black woman present at the founding of the United Nations in 1945.

Writing her legacy. Near the end of her life, Bethune wrote a piece often called her “Last Will and Testament,” published for the world. In it she left behind not possessions but values: love, hope, a thirst for education, dignity, faith, and a responsibility to the young. She understood that the truest inheritance isn’t money. It’s what you pass down of your spirit.

How Florida shaped her

Daytona Beach was Bethune’s home base and her life’s work. She chose Florida, built her school there, is buried there, and shaped the state and the nation from that spot. Florida gave her the ground to build on, and she made it the launching point for a legacy that reached the White House and the world.

What her story teaches us about our own

This one lands especially close to my work.

Mary McLeod Bethune did something remarkable at the end of her life: she deliberately wrote down what she wanted to leave behind. Not her belongings, her values. Her hopes for the people coming after her. She turned her legacy into words, on purpose, so it would outlast her.

That’s something any of us can do, and few of us do. It’s the idea behind a legacy letter, sometimes called an ethical will: a written message passing on your values, lessons, and blessings, separate from any legal will about property. Bethune’s is famous, but yours doesn’t have to be. Writing down what you believe and what you hope for your family is one of the most powerful gifts you can leave. She showed us how.

Frequently asked questions

What did Mary McLeod Bethune do? Bethune was an educator and civil rights leader who founded a school in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1904 that became Bethune-Cookman University. She founded the National Council of Negro Women, advised five U.S. presidents, and was a leading voice for Black Americans’ education and rights.

Where did Mary McLeod Bethune found her school? She founded her school in Daytona Beach, Florida, in October 1904, beginning with only a handful of students. It later merged with the Cookman Institute to become Bethune-Cookman College, now a university, where she is buried.

What was Mary McLeod Bethune’s “Last Will and Testament”? Near the end of her life, Bethune wrote a widely published piece often called her “Last Will and Testament,” in which she left behind not material wealth but values, including love, hope, a thirst for education, and dignity. It’s an inspiring example of passing on a legacy of values.

I’m Claire, a writer and personal historian on Florida’s Space Coast. Mary McLeod Bethune understood that the deepest legacy isn’t money, it’s the values you write down and pass on. You can do that too. Read about legacy letters and ethical wills, or reach out if you’d like help preserving your family’s story and values.

Sources: Mary McLeod Bethune — Wikipedia.