Rev. Dr. Marshall Bell Lanier (1869-1961) was a dean, president, and president-emeritus of Simmons University (Simmons College of Kentucky) for 51 years. Born in Mocksville, NC, Lanier was a graduate of Maryland Seminary, Lincoln University, and Western Theological Seminary. He was ordained in 1895 with his first pastorate at Grace Church in Pittsburgh, PA. Lanier married Maudellen Brice and together they moved to Kentucky where he preached at the First Baptist Church of Irvington and the Corinthian Baptist Church of Frankfort before joining the staff of Simmons. Lanier was active in the community as a member of the Masons and trustee of the Home for Colored Boys. Image from “The National Cyclopedia of the Colored Race.”
