Marvis Barnes and Myra Harris enrolled at the State Teachers College at Towson in fall 1955, directly following the decision of Oliver Brown, et al. v. Board of Education of Topeka, et al. They were the first Black graduates to complete four-year degrees at the university.

Ms. Barnes earned a master’s degree from what is now Loyola University, Maryland. She taught social studies and English at Garrison Middle School and introduced innovative reading strategies for boys (buying and reading newspapers every weekend). She married a Morgan State graduate and reared two sons.

Ms. Harris earned a master’s degree from Columbia University and took postgraduate courses at Johns Hopkins and Loyola universities. She taught elementary school and supervised student teachers before serving as assistant principal and principal at Harlem Park Elementary and Madison Square Elementary in Baltimore.