Griffin Speaks

A TRIBUTE TO BENJAMIN PHILLIP McLAURIN

A few days ago I received an email from the Morehouse Alumni Office informing me that my former college boss had died. Mr. McLaurin was the Placement Director when I served as one of his student assistants. It was a wonderful experience working for such a great man. Mr. McLaurin’s Administrative Assistant Patricia A. Bowers promised to cook me a fried chicken dinner in 1976, I have waited for that dinner for thirty-one (31) years. In fact many years after graduating from Morehouse I would journey back to Mr. McLaurin’s office and ask his loyal assistant of 38 years about my promised fried chicken dinner. Mr. McLaurin, Pat and I would laugh knowing that Pat would respond “you’ll get it.” I am still waiting. In fact I did not get a chance to see Pat at the Memorial Service.  My sons, Greg Jr., Christopher and I stayed at the Memorial service about three hours and had to leave so that I could make it back to Montgomery in time to meet another appointment. If I had seen Pat I would have indeed asked about my 38 year old fried chicken dinner.  

Mr. McLaurin was the son of the late Benjamin F. McLaurin and Margaret Frye McLaurin, and was the godson of the late A .Phillip Randolph. Mr. McLaurin earned an associate degree in mathematics from Bronx Community College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Morehouse College in 1969. He would soon begin his illustrious career as the first Director of Career Placement at Morehouse College. In 2003, he became the Director of Career Services under the Division of Business Administration and Economics (EBA). For 38 years Mr. McLaurin nurtured numerous corporate relationships, resulting in many Morehouse men being placed into positions not normally held by people of color. Because of Mr. McLaurin many students were given the vision to see beyond the entry level, he gave them the ambition to aim for the stars and the confidence to succeed on any level. He truly placed a crown above all of the students that he encountered and challenged them to grow tall enough to wear it. Mr. McLaurin was the quintessential Morehouse Man Extraordinaire.  

As my sons and I traveled to Atlanta to celebrate the life of Mr. Mclaurin I shared with them some of my memories of him. I began by telling them that Ben McLaurin was indefatigable. He had an incredible work ethic. He was an exceptionally dedicated and principled man. While he was very proud of whom his father was, (the right hand man of A. Phillip Randolph, the dean of all Civil Rights Leaders) he didn’t just rely on that. He went on to make his own contribution to mankind. Among all things, he was loyal to family, friends and Morehouse College. He never lost sight of his goal: to prepare thousands of Morehouse men to lead lives of leadership and service. 

I believe Morehouse Alumnus, Attorney C. Howie Hodges II summed it up best in his tribute to Mr. McLaurin when he wrote, “I was saddened to learn the news of the passing of my friend Bennie Mac. What a huge loss to the school, I will miss him. Benny Mac’s dedication to the school, students present and past will long be his testament and legacy. He put Morehouse on the global map with his singular devotion to ensuring that the best & brightest from the House were represented in every corporate suite in America and the world… 

Mr. McLaurin’s life would have made the late Dr. Benjamin Mays proud. Dr. Mays mesmerized Morehouse men by preaching stewardship, responsibility and engagement. He said, “Do whatever you do so well,’ ‘that no man living and no man yet unborn could do it better. He proclaimed that at Morehouse he was not turning out doctors or lawyers or preachers. He was turning out men.” We will miss Mr. McLaurin and never forget him. May he rest in peace and live in the memories of all who loved him.