SMU to Present Historical Monument Where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Delivered a Speech

DALLAS – A marker from the Texas Historical Commission will be placed on the campus of Southern Methodist University on Tuesday to mark the spot where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a speech titled “The Future of Integration.”

The marker will be installed outside the McFarlin Auditorium on the Dallas campus, where Dr. King gave a speech on March 17, 1966.

“It was one of the most exciting days of my life,” said retired Methodist minister Charles Cox, who was a 20-year-old student at the time.

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He, along with another student, Bert Moore, met Dr. King at Love Field Airport.

“He was very down to earth, he had a great sense of humor, he asked questions about Dallas. He was interested in us as students and in our school,” Cox said.

Charles Cox wrote a letter to his mother about this experience.

“What a great man and I had the honor of being with him as he spoke,” he said.

The school newspaper reports on King’s speech and his invitation to the 2,800 people who filled the McFarlin Auditorium to think about the future of integration.

“When I first came to SMU, I had no idea what Dr. King was talking about here,” said Matt Hatnian.

Khatnian went to SMU for graduate school and was motivated to make this hidden story known.

He worked to have the Texas Historical Commission marker placed outside the hall.

“I heard his words, heard my own voice, and just recognized the historical significance of my stay at SMU,” said doctoral student Khutnian.

READ MORE: The Dallas-born former slave who became Texas’ first black dentist is honored as a trailblazer.

SMU was one of the few predominantly white universities in the South where Dr. King spoke, and the only one in Texas at the request of students.

“As a student, I was delighted to know that 57 years ago we had brave students like Charles, Bert Moore and others doing this sort of thing here on campus. It was just our way of adding a bit to the story.” Khutyan said.

Hope is a landmark, and King’s 1966 SMU speech will touch us in some way.

“We hope that people who walk past this are motivated to listen to this speech and hear these words from Dr. King today and think about this exact question: how does this apply to me today?” Khatyan said.

LISTEN DR. THE KING’S SPEECH IS HERE

The celebration is scheduled for 18:30 Tuesday.

Pastor Richie Butler of St. Luke’s Methodist Church will perform and the choir will sing.

Students are returning to SMU from all over the country as the hidden story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s performance at SMU will no longer be hidden.