SMU’s McFarlin Auditorium received a historic sign commemorating MLK’s 1966 performance.

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) “Until now, it has been an almost forgotten part of SMU civil rights history.

In March 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. accepted an invitation from the Student Senate to speak at the McFarlin Auditorium.

“So, all the seats were filled,” recalls Charles Cox, then a member of the Student Senate. “And there were people. What a big event it was…”

Cox and a classmate drove Dr. King from the airport to another performance before taking him to campus.

“He was such a great guy. He had a sense of humor!” Coke shares with a gentle chuckle. “He was not proud of how famous he became. He was very down to earth and meeting him was a joy…”

Cox also had the honor of introducing Dr. King to the crowded crowd, reading from an introduction he made that day, “…perhaps no man better manifests the spirit of the civil rights revolution … ladies and gentlemen, this is a true honor.” Imagine Dr. Martin Luther King…

Although there was no videotape of the speech, Cox says that even now, just listening to King’s words gives him goosebumps. He said he listened to the speech again on Friday morning, marveling at how Dr. King spoke without notes for almost an hour and only five minutes after being told his topic.

“You have to do it,” Cox encourages. “Take 55 minutes and listen to his speech and listen to how he intertwines philosophy, psychology, religion, history, and does it smoothly, even without a pause! Tell us about an incredible speaker.”

And yet the “great orator” for some was the “evil agitator” for others. And the tension of the moment was real. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Cox says he was never taught racial hatred. And then he came to Texas.

“Then I came to Texas,” he adds, nodding. “And I learned how deep and strong this feeling was in many of my fellow students. I went to these party people and met young men and women, and they just told me, “God’s will is not for whites and blacks to be together.” Just look at the Bible!”

Those were really unstable times. “I never personally encountered the idea of ​​racial prejudice until I came to the South.”

But the crowded room during Dr. King’s speech, he said, showed that not everyone was opposed to moving the campus forward.

“It just inspired me to keep fighting for what was right, what was the end of this evil, this discrimination and prejudice that we are still fighting today!”

He says Dr. King also reminded the audience that the civil rights battle was fought across colored borders.

“He talked about how the civil rights organization he headed had 200 employees, 60 of whom were white. So we have to work together on this. “, says Cox. “I think in the 57 years that have passed since then, we have made great strides … but we still have a lot to do.”

As expected, during King’s visit, security measures were extremely tight.

“I was worried about that, yes… everyone went through the Kennedy affair a few years ago. My God. Yes, there was tension, but everything went well that day.”

Fast forward half a century and McFarlin Auditorium will now be honored by the Texas Historical Commission, a reminder to all that seeds of change sprout when watered from the heart.

“We have to look at a long arc of history, as King said, and I hope he would be content to live to old age to see more good things happen.”

But, according to him, the struggle continues. And he is so proud of the current and recent SMU students who have worked so hard to ensure that this moment is not forgotten and to secure the historic title.

The community is invited to the Historic Commission Marker Launch Celebration on Tuesday, February 21 at 6:30 pm at the McFarlin Auditorium. Registration is welcome.