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Page 10 - The Wiregrass Farmer, January 15,2014
A LEGACY
to celebrate;
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
This month the nation takes time to honor the memory
of a humanitarian and civil rights legend. Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. stirred a generation of people to speak up
for their rights, solidifying his standing as one of the most
notable and influential activists of the modern age.
Dr. King was born at his family's Georgia home to par
ents Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr. and Alberta King
on January 15, 1929. At a young age, King was identified
as a scholar and would go on to become a highly educat
ed and awarded individual. He skipped both the 9th and
12th grades of high school and entered Morehouse
College at age 15 with very high college entrance exam
grades.
He subsequently graduated Morehouse with a B.A. in
Sociology and enrolled in Crozer Theological Seminary
in Chester, Pennsylvania, following in the theological
footsteps of his father and maternal grandfather who were
Celebrating a Hero,
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also men of God. King was awarded a Bachelor of
Divinity degree from Crozer in 1951. He later earned a
Ph.D. from Boston University and studied at Harvard
University during his schooling. He holds several hon
orary degrees from notable schools across the country.
Apart from his extensive educational background,
King took pride in his theological work. He was ordained
in February 1948 and became assistant pastor of Ebenezer
Baptist Church and later pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist
Church, Montgomery, Alabama. From 1960 until his
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assassination, he was co-pastor with his father at
Ebenezer Baptist Church and President of the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference.
Dr. King was an influential part of the civil rights
movement, participating in many rallies and non-violent
protests. He was actually arrested more than 30 times in
conjunction with his activist work.
The life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was cut short
when he was shot while standing on the balcony of the
Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968.
He had been in the area to lead sanitation workers in a
protest against low wages and poor conditions. His shoot
er was James Earl Ray, who was arrested in London,
England on June 8, 1968 and returned to Memphis,
Tennessee to stand trial for the assassination.
King's wife, Coretta Scott King, passed away in 2006
and both are survived by four children. Despite his pass
ing nearly 40 years ago, his words and memory live on.
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PROPANE
Providing County-Wide Service
Call 567-3431
J.W. Williams Funeral Home, Inc.
Arthur L. Parker - President
407 West 17th Avenue
Cordele, GA 31015
Phone: (229) 273-2683
Fax: (229) 273-5111
"Service " Since 1918
GULDEN
PEANUT
COMPANY
We will be closed
Jan. 20
in observance of
Martin Luther King Day
ft South Georgia
Banking Company
Member FDIC -L ** 1=1
www.sgbconline.com
567-9686 - Ashburn
271-300 - Cordele
MEMBER
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We will be closed Jan. 20 in
observance of
Martin Luther King Day
E. Washington Ave.
is* 567-4383
MEMBER
FDIC
