When almost every college looked and acted the same, Elon University President Emeritus J. Earl Danieley dared to be different.
During the height of the civil rights movement, in 1963, the first black student was admitted to Elon College under Danieley's presidency.
If his unprecedented move toward inclusivity had backfired, it could have had severe consequences. But Danieley did it anyway, because he believed it was right.
And in the wake of his death, the black community thanks him.
The combined ages of Adam Constantine '10 and Doug Spencer '16 fall well short of Danieley's, who died Tuesday at 92 years old. But the two black Elon alumni spared no words when describing their admiration for Danieley.
"This was a man who loved me for me," said Constantine, social media manager and former Elon basketball player. "Knowing that there is someone that grew up in the era that he did and has that amount of love for me, not in spite of my race but in addition to my race, that means a lot."
After a trailblazing and iconic seven-decade career, Danieley died following battles with several health symptoms. But the determination and grit he displayed in his last years matches the persistence with which he championed social justice causes and charges for equality. Danieley didn’t consult the Board of Trustees on enrolling Glenda Phillips Hightower. She was the first black student, but didn't graduate at Elon because of familial issues. Six years later, Eugene Perry '69 became the first black student to receive an Elon degree.
“Glenda was perfectly qualified to attend college,” Danieley said in a 2014 interview. “Most people around the community and around campus did not know she was here until she marched down Main Street in Burlington as a member of the band.”
In recent years, Elon has honored Hightower and Perry for their courage with portraits hanging in upstairs Mosley Center. Also in honor of them, the Phillips-Perry Black Excellence Award is bestowed to black students who earn at least a 3.0 GPA for each semester.
In a speech at the portraits' unveiling in February, Hightower said the journey wasn't easy for her as a pioneer, but she is honored to be remembered as one of Danieley's greatest accomplishments.
"It was decided by the very wise people at that time, since integration was going to happen at that time, why not do it peacefully, why not do it pragmatically, why not do it so that no one gets hurt and everyone benefits," Hightower said. "I’m so happy they did and they chose me."
Doug Spencer in front of the Pictures of Phillips and Perry during the award ceremony. Photo courtesy of Spencer.
Doug Spencer received the "Phillips-Perry Black Excellence" award this past spring and is currently serving a two-year term as an Elon Youth Trustee on the Board of Trustees. Even though he was more than 200 miles away in Arlington, Virginia, he struggled to process Danieley's death when he first heard it, saying he and all other Elon students owe him a debt of gratitude.
In 2015, Spencer sat with Danieley at a football game, and in the modest stands of Rhodes Stadium, Danieley imparted lifelong wisdom and guidance on him. Spencer now uses that wisdom in his new marking job at CenturyLink.
Danieley's decision to admit the first black student — and his risky decision to keep the Board of Trustees in the dark about it — shaped Spencer's bright future. And he can't thank him enough for it.
"Without Dr. Danieley, the first black students wouldn’t have been at Elon, and without them, I wouldn’t have been at Elon," Spencer said. "I see a connection and a sense of knowing that Dr. Danieley thought it was important for them to be there. It speaks to him as a person and his belief that Elon is a place for students of color and students of different backgrounds."
Constantine doesn't want to speculate what Elon would be like without Danieley because it's "unimaginable to think about because he's always been here."
Spencer agreed and said it is up to the older generation to keep his legacy afloat. Whenever Spencer comes to Elon again for homecoming, he said he hopes new young students who will never meet Danieley will eventually appreciate the magnitude of the man that was just lost.
"Though they wouldn’t unfortunately get to meet him, he is at the heart of what is Elon is," Spencer said. "He is responsible for the foundation of modern Elon. They should understand that this was his vision. He saw this before anyone else did. Color didn't matter to him because he built something for us all."