Leonora Beck Ellis
Leonora Beck Ellis (née, Leonora Beck; pen name, Mrs. R. A. Ellis; 1862-1951) was a 19th-century American educator, author, poet, and Southern social reformer, from the U.S. state of Georgia. She served as president of the Woman's Press Association of Georgia In 1889, Ellis removed to Atlanta to engage in founding the Capital Female College, later known as the Leonora Beck College. She served as its president for five years. Early years and education Leonora Beck was born near Augusta, Georgia, in 1862. Her father, Rev. James W. Beck (born Wilkes County, Georgia, October 23, 1831), was among the first teachers at Jackson Institute. Her mother was Margaret Willis, of Meriwether County, Georgia. There were two brothers: Marcus W., judge of the Flint circuit court; and Walter L., business manager of the Griffin Wheel company, of Chicago. At an early age, she showed an unusual aptitude for linguistic study, speaking several modern languages when nine years old. She was well-grounded in Latin and Greek when 15 years old. Ellis was educated at Oxford College, in Alabama, the only college for men in the South which received women. There, she studied and trained for the teaching profession, graduating at the age