I met Hayes in the fall of 1960, shortly after I had transferred from USC Florence (now Frances Marion) to the main campus.  I say I "met" Hayes; actually, he read a letter I had written in the "Gamecock" protesting  the role of Roger Milliken in the University and immediately recruited me to that small number of USC students who lived in a state of perpetual outrage about racial and other forms of injustice.  We shared an apartment together and, most of all, we shared an intense friendship that was sometimes distant but always with us as long as we lived.  Hayes was the best: a person who never wavered in his belief that he had an obligation to make this world a little better.  And he did.

Dan Carter

The life and legacy of Hayes Mizell has made the world a much better place. His deeply held values about helping others, combined with his extraordinary intellect, have made an enormous impact — and will continue to do so. He has taught, tutored, and mentored many over his beautiful lifetime. 
One of the most rewarding periods of my life and career was working with my dear friend and colleague John Norton in support of Hayes’ Program for Student Achievement at the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. Hayes taught us much about advancing systemic middle school reform where so many early adolescents begin to fall between the cracks. Hayes believed deeply about the “raging” intellects of young people. He also had never-ending optimism and a great faith in how educators, working under the right conditions, could make public schools the place of community where all (and he meant all) students achieve at high levels. One thing I remember most about our project: Hayes had a way of being demanding, assiduous, and patient at the same time. He expected the best, and we never wanted to disappoint him. And we did our best not to. 


Saylor and I send our heartfelt sympathies to the family of Hayes.

Hayes was an extraordinary person.  He was deeply committed to making the lives of all people, especially those without a voice, better.  He also understood the best way to make systemic change was through the public education system.  If public education was just and equitable for ALL STUDENTS, students would thrive and prosper.  He never gave up on that dream.

I first met Hayes when I was in high school (1971-74).  To say I was precocious would be an understatement.  I wanted the world to be a better place for everyone and I wanted it NOW.  Hayes had John Norton write a booklet on Students Rights and Responsibilities with the CRAZY notion that students had certain rights which could not be denied by school officials.  I began distributing the booklet at my high school, Northwestern, in Rock Hill, SC.  This was not popular with my Principal or the administration, but my father was on the school board which helped with my success.

In 1978, I joined the staff of the Southeastern Public Education Program (SEPEP) of the American Friends Service Committee as the SC SEPEP State Coordinator.  My job was to travel the state, concentrating on poor, rural school districts, helping to identify parents in those areas and helping them learn how to better advocate for their children.  The avenue was through Parent Advisory Councils mandated by Title I of the Elementary & Secondary Education Act.  Hayes had the foresight to realize this was the best method to give parents the confidence and resources to bring about positive change for their children.  It worked!

Hayes was my mentor.  He changed my life for the better.  He challenged me to be a better person; he challenged me to work for justice and equality of others.  This is something I will never forget.  Thank you, Hayes!

In recent years Hayes liked to call annual SEPEP “staff meetings” - a gathering of folks who worked with him in the 1970s at the Southeastern Public Education Program. In 2018 we met (with our partners) in historic Saluda NC. L-R, front row: Hayes Mizell, Janice Norton, Janet Wells, Bettye Fox Boone, Scott Shanklin-Peterson, Terry Peterson, Kate Swanson Mizell. L-R, back row: Saylor Fox Boone, John Norton.

Hayes was one of the "force of nature" people we hear about – and my most important mentor. He was a huge influence in my life, shaping my professional and personal journey in profound ways. I worked for and with him three times –in the early 70s, in the late 70s, and from 1996 to 2003. Each time his offer of challenging and engaging “right” work came at a critical moment. 

The vast Hayes Mizell Papers online collection at Caroliniana Library (USC) offers many insights into Hayes' education and social justice advocacy. In the coming weeks and months I’ll be joining with others who were also influenced by this remarkable man to pay ongoing tribute to his life and work. “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Hayes changed my life in 1979 when he recommended me for a Ford Foundation traveling fellowship in educational journalism.  I don't know if he was on the foundation board or if he just had contacts there.  I think they were trying to get a geographic balance.  Anyway, I went to Washington for an interview, and I was chosen to travel to various school systems for three months and meet with other recipients four times during the fellowship.  The final meeting was in San Francisco, and my boss Bobby Hitt was invited, and he got to invite his brother Jack Hitt, who I later became a most esteemed writer. After the traveling was over, I wrote a report and a feature article which appeared in The New York Times education section.  It was all very exciting, and I have Hayes to thank for the experience and many fond memories of it.  At the time, I didn't know that Hayes would marry Kate, and she would become a good friend. I send her and her family my heartfelt condolences and love.

To have known Hayes is to have known the bravest white man I’ve ever known.  He was courageous without hesitation. To stop injustice was his calling and a calling he never failed to respond to. It was truly an honor to know him and to try and model your belief in justice from his.
Thanks Hayes

The family and friends of Hayes have our deepest sympathies. 

Hayes was a wonderful person.  He also helped instigate many important education advances across South Carolina and America, especially for those who were struggling or underserved.

By the time I came to know Hayes in 1969, he  had become a courageous, active citizen helping our then desegregating school systems become effective centers of learning for all students – Black or white or Hispanic – from rural areas to our expanding cities.

As a young teacher in Berkeley County, without any support from the school district, I was trying my best to teach in a first-time desegregated setting.  Very fortunately, somehow, I found Hayes’ found phone number and called him for help .  On very short notice, he met me and offered important support.   

Soon after that visit, he helped several of us discover that the school district was misusing millions of dollars that were designed to help struggling students read and do math…a huge need in my school. He knew if the teachers and Black and white parents who were involved in discovering this misuse said anything about it, the teachers would be fired and the parents ostracized. 

 So, in true Hayes fashion, he took the burden entirely on his shoulders and filed major complaint to the US Department of Education. They responded making sure that that those Title I funds finally flowed to the thousands of students who needed them including in my school.

This situation epitomizes Hayes’ willingness to be out front, at times withstanding harsh and unfair criticism from negative forces.  From that time forward for decades, I had the privilege to work with Hayes on several critical education projects or draw on his community connections to the benefit of hundreds of thousands of students, families and educators.

Hayes always could be counted on to make a positive difference.  He will be missed, but he leaves a wonderful legacy and a wonderful family.

It is so hard to put into words how much Hayes meant to me. I met him nearly 30 years ago when I was a new administrator in the Long Beach Unified School District in CA, 26 years old and fresh out of the classroom. Hayes was the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation’s Director of the Program for Student Achievement – smart, focused and so incredibly intimidating to my inexperienced eyes.  

While we talk about “equity” now in all that we do, and we in public education proclaim that we are centering our Black youth, Hayes was demanding that decades ago. He knew that it wasn’t enough for one person to change, but we had to change the whole system.  

Hayes was relentless in this pursuit, pressed on us, and brought in experts to grill us on our plans (who always found fault). But he also brought us support when he saw us struggling, and when he praised you for your work, you knew it was the real deal. I realized his desire for change was deeply rooted in kindness.

When he left the Foundation and I moved on to other positions, we always kept in touch and I knew I could reach out to him for advice. As we both grew older, we exchanged Christmas newsletters each year, and the occasional catch up email. I felt honored to be included in his life for so many years, and I know that I am a better administrator and a better person because of him. My heart goes out to all who are feeling this loss, and my love goes to his family.



My heart is broken to lose Hayes from this world. I was his last program associate at the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. (And so intimidated by him initially that I was nervous to ride the elevator with him for fear I would say something dumb!) My father died while I worked for him, and I will never forget that—when he learned my mother was also gone—he flew across country without blinking an eye to attend the memorial service. I walked in and saw him and cried. That was who Hayes was. 

And he and Kate welcomed me into their life from then on. I spent privileged time with the family in South Carolina. Hayes always periodically checked in, and was a huge supporter of my writing. He was a father figure that I needed, and that I feel so lucky to have known. My heart is with his whole family right now.

Hayes was the best person I recall from my years as a student at Wofford College.  He set the example of concern for others.  Our world is not as good without him.  Dan Maultsby

I met Haynes when he was halfway into his work with the Friends in the ‘70s, and we remained friends through his tenure at the Clark Foundation and his return to the South. He had a rare, quiet style of persuasion, listened remarkably well, was smart as a whip, and possessed a dear soul. 

During his time in the North, whenever I visited him during the summers at the Foundation, he always complained about how slow-growing were his backyard tomato plants, as if they were proof that the South still had advantages and virtues that other places lacked.

Hayes cared deeply about social justice and educational equity and did more than most to advance them. He was a Southerner of goodwill who loved the South so much he wanted to improve it.  And he did.

Kate and family:  
So sorry for your loss    We are thinking of you during this sad time     You are in our prayers
Take care     Arlene and Bill klippel   

Hayes was deeply committed to social justice, and a stronger supporter of equitable education. We never held a rally for these causes where Hayes didn’t show up. He was a kind of gentle giant who was faithful to his family, friends and many concerns. 

Bud Ferillo

My sincere condolences to a tremendous gentleman and a scholar who dedicated his life to the betterment of all. Hayes Mizell, as he was known to most, will be surly missed by all progressive South Carolinians. 

We are very sad to learn of Hayes' passing. When we were living in Columbia, Hayes was our neighbor, our mentor in many ways, our hero in many ways, and our dear friend. Condolances to Kate and all of the family.  Tina and Richard Eib, Alpharetta Ga


OBITUARY

Melvin Hayes Mizell

November 1, 1938 – September 26, 2022

Dunbar Funeral Home (Devine)

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