The long legacy of Atlanta civil rights elder statesman Benjamin E. Mays

• He was a trusted counselor and mentor, often behind the scenes, to Martin Luther King Jr., Hank Aaron, Maynard Jackson and countless other students, activists and leaders throughout the movement.

Catch up quick: The youngest of eight children born to freed people turned tenant farmers, the South Carolina native became an early civil rights champion and sought-after religious educator, despite de jure segregation's grip in the Deep South.

• In 1940, Mays parlayed the fundraising and administrative skills he picked up as dean of religious studies at Howard University to become president of Morehouse College.

Zoom in: Mays focused on growing enrollment, shoring up finances and building relationships with funders, including "Gone With the Wind" author Margaret Mitchell, who supported Morehouse students with anonymous donations.

The intrigue: Four years after arriving, Mays began a lifelong friendship with a Morehouse "early admission" student named Martin Luther King Jr.

• The educator, who delivered the eulogy at King's funeral, introduced the activist to the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and nonviolent protest, according to Morehouse.

What they're saying: "He wasn't out there every day giving sound bites," Clarissa Myrick-Harris, a Morehouse historian and professor, told Axios. "[Activists] looked to him to help them connect to the essence, the spirit behind the movement."

• "He helped to fuel them and to help them to stay on task and to stay focused on what the needs were for the Black community in particular."

Zoom out: Mays retired from Morehouse in 1967 and not long after won election to the Atlanta school board. By that time in his 70s, the well-respected Mays was a "moral compass" during the desegregation of Atlanta Public Schools, Myrick-Harris said.

• Mays died in 1984. He is honored in Atlanta with Benjamin E. Mays High School in southwest Atlanta, which is on Benjamin E. Mays Drive.