Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette Betty Chavis spent a career improving the lives of minority students, not only at Michigan Tech, but throughout the country.

HOUGHTON — Most people live their lives day-to-day not stopping to recognize their accomplishments have reached historic proportions until it is brought to their attention. Among those people who have become historic in their lifetimes is Betty Chavis.

In 1989, while she was working in the state Legislative office as the administrative assistant to Sen. Basil Brown, Michigan Technological University’s President Dale Stein contacted Chavis with a request to come to the university to work on a team to diversify and grow the student population at Tech. She did that — and far more.

In her 25 years at Michigan Tech, Chavis worked with several campus student groups and, as she said, has sat on every one of the university’s committees. She developed Black History Week to spotlight accomplishments of Black Americans in the United States. She has been the adviser to the Michigan Tech African Student Organization, and she also initiated Women’s History Week to highlight issues of importance to women at Michigan Tech and elsewhere.

Chavis and a colleague, Mary Ann Brunner, organized and launched the Parade of Nations, an annual event celebrating some 80 nations represented by Michigan Tech students. The Parade of Nations is just that: a parade through Houghton and Hancock, followed by a food festival held at the Dee Stadium in Houghton. The parade, in which participants wear attire specific to their national culture, and the festival, which comprises cultural foods from those nations, exposes the local population to a colorful glimpse of world cultural anthropology.

Chavis grew up in Detroit, where she graduated from Cass Technical High School, it was, she said, the only non-neighborhood enrollment school in Detroit, and was, and is, selective. Cass provides students opportunities for Advanced Placement coursework and exams.

After graduating from Cass Tech, Chavis attended Wayne State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. She also studied dance. She auditioned for the Katherine Dunham Dance Company and was offered a placement in an experimental group that allowed her to travel extensively. The first African-American Modern Dance company was a touring troupe of dancers, singers, actors and musicians.

“After coming back to the city, I had a dance group, the Ognimalf Dancers,” Chavis said. “It started with Phil Giles, who was one of the biggest black entrepreneurs in the Idlewild, Michigan, area, which was a location for Blacks that were educated, elitist people. He had a night club there, and our group started there. So, Ognimalf spelled backward is Flamingo, and that was the name of the club.”

Chavis’ work at Michigan Tech, starting in 1989, was transformative. As posted on Linkedin (undated) by Michigan Tech Alumni Jaylyn Boone, Chavis developed Black History Week at Michigan Tech to showcase African American accomplishments in the United States.

Betty developed Women’s History Week to highlight issues of importance to women at Michigan Tech and elsewhere.

“”Betty personally brought black students to campus from their environment and walked with them through their journey to become African American Alumni and accomplished professionals,” Boone wrote. “Betty has cultivated mothers, fathers, families, friends, executives, engineers and genuinely good people and at 90 years of age, Betty is still going.”

Boone’s tribute to Chavis was heartfelt and genuine, expressing sentiments felt by most everyone who has known her.

“I want to thank Miss Betty Chavis for all she has done for the Michigan Tech Community and underrepresented individuals all over the country,” Boone wrote. “For without Miss Betty Chavis there would be no platform upon which to stand and deliver this message. May your legacy always be remembered and may your flowers be delivered in abundance for the rest of your days.”