Scholar And Educator

       M.P. Burley attended grammar and high school in his hometown of Macon, Georgia. His love of learning guided him to Ballard Normal School, where he excelled in a broad range of subjects, including Latin. Even though he was an outstanding scholar, Burley could find no work in his chosen field as an educator, so he took a job at a soap factory until a better opportunity came along.

       In the Fall of 1903 he received a teaching job, but son concluded that his own education was incomplete. Burley then entered Atlanta University, where he finished college while supporting himself as a photographer during the Summers.

       After graduation in 1909, he was appointed professor of English, Science and Latin at Homer College. Six years later, he left his native state to become Professor of Science at Miles College in Birmingham, Alabama. Burley's special talent for teaching was recognized by his promotion to President of Miles College in 1927.

      Never satisfied with his own knowledge of the latest educational advancements, Burley took post-graduate courses at the University of Pennsylvania every Summer. Under Burley's leadership, Miles College gained recognition as one of America's leading black colleges.