Daniel Payne College

Daniel Payne College was an institution of higher learning operated by the African Methodist Episcopal Church from 1880 to 1977. The school was named in honor of the noted African American educator Daniel Payne, a native of Charleston, South Carolina who served as official historiographer of the AME church and became the first African-American to serve as a college president shortly after the Civil War at Wilberforce University in Ohio.

The school was called the Payne Institute until 1903, when it was changed to Payne University, then to Greater Payne University in 1926 and, finally, to Daniel Payne College in 1940. From its founding until 1972 Daniel Payne College operated from a building at 6415 Washington Boulevard in East Lake. Airport expansion and Interstate highway construction forced the school to relocated to 2101 Sayreton Road.

The Sayreton Road campus sustained over $1.3 million in damage from a tornado on April 4, 1977. On a shaky financial footing already, the school was forced to close its doors. A lawsuit brought by former students alleging mismanagement of funds by the administration set a precedent that students have a vested interest in the operation of their schools.

Sayreton Road was subsequently renamed Daniel Payne Drive in honor of the former college. Some campus buildings still remain, including the headquarters for the 9th Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and a Jefferson Metrocare health clinic.

Notable alumni

• Fred Bankhead, baseball player
• Candy Davis, gospel singer
• Arthur Shores (1956), attorney

References

"Daniel Payne College." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 11 Nov 2007, 18:41 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 18 Nov 2007 [1].