Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. day, honoring the most famous figure from the battle for racial equality in the 1950s and 60s in the United States.

Central College students and faculty will honor the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and work with activities. King visited campus in March of 1967, an important milestone in the history of the campus.

Mary Lubbers Montgomery is the daughter of then-Central President Arend “Don” Lubbers, who invited King to campus. Montgomery was eight years old at the time.

“I remember waiting impatiently for him to arrive at our home, and when he finally arrived, of course my brothers and I were instructed to use our manners and how to act and how to introduce yourself to someone or greet someone,” Montgomery says. “So I stuck out my hand as Dr. King came through the door, and I was mesmerized, of course, seeing him.”

Service projects on campus were postponed due to the extreme cold.