(Feb. 19, 2007) — In memory of the civil rights leader’s 1968 address to Manchester College and the community, a bust of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be dedicated on Wednesday, Feb. 28–very near the actual site of his speech.
The public is invited to the ceremony to be held at 4:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Physicians Atrium of the Science Center at the college in North Manchester, Ind.
Using the podium from which Dr. King delivered his speech, “The Future of Integration,” the college will dedicate the 17-inch tall bust created by Fort Wayne sculptor Will Clark.
King spoke at the college on Feb. 1, 1968, two months before he was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn. It is believed to have been his final campus speech. The event took place in the former gymnasium and auditorium, which was razed in 2000.
Sculptor Will Clark is a passionate supporter of minority rights and a historian on Fort Wayne race relations (see his website at www.willclarksculpture.com/artist.html). The artist was an obvious choice to help Manchester memorialize Dr. King’s speech, said college president Jo Young Switzer.
For more about Manchester College, visit http://www.manchester.edu/.