3 generations of Morehouse men have the same name

ATLANTA - Heartwarming photos of three generations of Morehouse men on campus have been shared thousands of times online.

"I don’t even know these people yet, but they made me feel like family already," Norman Thomas III said of his future classmates.

He wasn’t sold on attending Morehouse despite years of persuasion from his immediate family, until a campus tour, when he saw just how much other young Black men at the school lift each other up.

His dad, Norman Thomas II, said decades ago, that same brotherhood hooked him on the historically Black college. So, little Norman’s recent decision "literally brought me to tears," he said.

"I promised myself, if I have any children, all of them are going there," Norman Thomas Sr. said.

It wouldn’t be wrong to say the Thomas-Morehouse legacy originated with Norman Senior, but he'll say it's stupefying to see men who look like you do things you never dreamed.

"My father would talk about Martin Luther King Jr. speaking on campus and having those conversations. They were bigger than life for me," Norman Jr. said.

This fall, Norman III will live in the same dorm as his grandfather. That was the backdrop for a photo shoot that does more than celebrate a recent high school graduation.

"I wanted to capture this while my dad is here," Norman Jr. said. "To capture all three of us on campus."

Those three Normans have quite a bit in common, but only two out of three can say they shared the same form and likewise two-thirds studied something along the lines of education. Little Norman is interested in sports medicine.

Sure, this is one beautiful way to honor one’s family legacy, but the Thomas said these photos empower other young Black men to create their own.

"We love to push each other. Everyone is going to push you to be the highest you can be. There’s no settling," Norman II said.