[4] He earned his PhD degree from Penn in 1898, for a dissertation entitled, "Synonyms of the Clean and Unclean in Hebrew.
"[5] After earning his PhD, Pezavia O'Connell was hired as principal of Princess Anne Academy in Salisbury, Maryland, where he served from 1899 to 1902.
"Dr. Pezavia O'Connell, a gentleman of scholarship and character, has all but suffered professional martyrdom because he has always fearlessly championed the cause of the Negro," Woodson wrote.
[3] In "Notes" published in the Journal of Negro History in 1931, O'Connell was remembered as an eloquent and outspoken figure, who emphasized the importance of "searching after the truth."
He was described as fearless in "exposing the insincerity of socalled {sic} 'white friends' of the Negro...", who repeatedly compromised on questions of their rights.