Mary McLeod Bethune was born on July 10, 1875 in Mayesville, South Carolina, to two former slaves. She was a dynamic figure and a tireless worker who dedicated her life to improving the lives of others, especially the lives of Black people, women, and children during the Progressive Era. She was one of the few women in the world to serve as college president. At her death, columnist Louis E. Martin said, "She gave faith and hope as if they were pills and she some kind of doctor." Bethune began her career as a teacher, believing that the key to changing black lives was to educate black women, saying, "I believe that the greatest hope for the development of my race lies in the thorough and practical training of our women ". In 1904, she founded the Literary and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls in Daytona, which eventually became Bethune-Cookman College. She was president of the college from 1923 to 1942 and 1946 to 1947, one of the few women in the world who served as college president. In 1896, the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) was founded. promote the needs and rights of black women In 1917, Bethune became president of the Florida chapter of the Association, a position she held until 1925.