The wiregrass farmer. (Ashburn, Ga.) 1984-current, January 15, 2014, Image 10

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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, Realizing a Dream, R&M Cash Drugs 362 E. Washington • 567-2393 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 Preferred Heating & Cooling 567-1234 Craig Giddens, owner TIFTON DRUGS Inside Medicine Man’s Corner 229-396-5552 208 Main St. 229-396-5558 (fax) Tifton Carole Ray, R.Ph. 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. City of Ashburn 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 FDIC We will be closed Jan. 20 in observance of Martin Luther King Day E. Washington Ave. is* 567-4383 MEMBER FDIC