WVU Parkersburg to host presentations by witness to Martin Luther King assassination.

CONTACT:  Debbie Richards, senior administrative assistant, 304-424-8201.
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

West Virginia University at Parkersburg is hosting two presentations by an eyewitness to the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination.

The Rev. Samuel "Billy" Kyles will give free presentations on Feb. 18 at the college's Jackson County Center in Ripley at 9 a.m., and in the multi-purpose room at 2 p.m. on the Parkersburg campus.  The presentations are open to the public and are being held in observance of Black History Month.

Kyles has been pastor of the Monumental Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., since 1959.  Having participated in many of the civil rights struggles throughout the South, he is recognized as a resource of information on the civil rights movement.  He was an eyewitness to the 1968 assassination of King and is the only person still living to spend the last hour with King. 

A national evangelist, Kyles was a founding board member of People United to Save Humanity (PUSH).  He served as the national coordinator for the Rev. Jesse Jackson's 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns.  He was appointed by the Clinton administration to serve on the Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad.  In 1992 he was recipient of the Tennessee Living Legend Award.

His presentations are made possible by a grant from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and are being coordinated by the campus social justice committee.  Additional information is available by contacting Debbie Richards, senior administrative assistant, 424-8201.

cd020604

For additional information, contact:
Connie Dziagwa
WVU Parkersburg
Executive Director
Communications/Public Relations
(304-424-8203)

Home | Faculty/Staff Directory | Office Directory | Contacts | Course Schedules | E-Mail | Search | Web Site Index | WVU