On April 4, 1968 I was an eyewitness to the ambulance that carried Martin Luther King, Jr. from
the Lorraine Motel in Memphis TN where he was shot to St. Joseph Hospital where he was
pronounced dead. That moment made an everlasting impression on me and inspired my
creation of this course. My life intersected with numerous people and events that played a
pivotal role in efforts at desegregation . I initially practiced law there and in the last fifteen (15) years, was
privileged to serve as Judge in Division 1 of the Probate Court of Shelby County, TN.
My formative years were spent in Chattanooga, TN where I attended the all- male military school, McCallie School for Boys, and then Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN where I received both my undergraduate and law degrees. McCallie was ‘all male and all white’. Vanderbilt had one (1) black in those days, James Lawson in the Divinity School, who played a pivotal role in many of the events I present in the 6 courses.