Nancy Randolph Davis was turned away at least twice when she tried to enroll at Oklahoma A&M College, but she persisted, her daughter said.

Davis enlisted the help of two prominent black leaders and was admitted to the college in 1949, becoming the first black student to enroll at what today is Oklahoma State University.

The civil rights pioneer, who helped pave the way for other students, died Monday. She was 88.

“Hers is a story of perseverance and determination and of giving back,” her daughter, Nancy Lynn Davis said. “She epitomizes the word humanitarian.”