Baylor to Host Martin Luther King Celebration Jan. 20

WACO, Texas - In celebration of Martin Luther King's birthday and life of commitment to human rights and education in America, Baylor University will sponsor a luncheon from noon to 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, in the VIP Room of the Ferrell Special Events Center on the Baylor campus.
The lunch will feature guest speaker Shirley Knox-Benton, principal at Dunbar High School in Fort Worth, who took the helm of one of the state's largest high schools and provided leadership for an impressive school improvement effort. Benton was instrumental in leading Dunbar to receive the Texas Successful School Award for raising test scores in 1993.
Specializing in interpersonal communication skills at all levels, Benton designed and developed the "Stay in School" skit. In 1995, she received the No.1 Woman in the Workplace Award and was selected as first runner-up for the Texas Association Secondary School Principal of the Year. She also was named National Woman of Distinction and was the first African American elected to office in the Texas Council of Women School Executives.
Benton earned her bachelor's degree in 1959 from Huston-Tillotson College in Austin. In 1978, she received a master's degree in guidance and counseling and, in 1982, she earned a master's degree in administrative management both from Texas Woman's University. In 1985, Benton completed the Specialist Program Counseling program at Harvard University.
The lunch is sponsored by Baylor's School of Education, the Department of Educational Administration and the Fred and Edith Hale Center for Educational Leadership.
Tickets for the lunch are $12. For more information or to request tickets, contact Baylor's Department of Educational Administration at (817) 755-3117.