When King came to Harvard
Martin Luther King Jr., the martyred civil rights icon whose national day of commemoration is Monday, was no stranger to Harvard University. He attended classes as a special student in 1952 and 1953, taking philosophy courses on Plato and on Alfred North Whitehead. His grade report showed a B and an A-, respectively. King also was a guest preacher at Harvard’s Memorial Church during the 1959-1960 school year, the first in a string of visits to the University’s chief pulpit. By then, the reverend was already four years into a civil rights career that had begun with the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-1956. In 1957, King had helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and become its first president. Special eventsTwo events honoring Martin Luther King Jr.: — Performance by the Harlem Gospel Choir, 7:30 p.m., Jan. 19, Sanders Theatre — The 43rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast, featuring a keynote address by...