Jacksonville – MacMurray College will hold a special convocation Monday, January 16th, in honor of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The event will be held at 12:30 p.m. in Annie Merner Chapel on the College campus.

     Dr. Pam Hamond-McDavid will be the keynote speaker for the program. Dr. McDavid is chairperson of the HECM (Higher Education Conference Ministries) of the United Methodist Church. She has also managed the centralized Career Services and Placement department at the University of Illinois at Springfield and Illinois State University.

     The theme for the convocation will be based on Dr. King’s message, “Recovering Lost Values.” College Chaplain Rev. Randy Myers will conduct the service for the convocation and will talk about the King Center and how college age students can get involved in “service that makes a difference.”

     There will be a progression of readings from the sermons and speeches of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., tracing his legacy from 1954 through to 1968.

     Dr. McDavid earned her Ph.D. from SIU/Carbondale. She has been an instructor on Human Development Counseling and is a current member of the General Commission on Religion & Race for the United Methodist Church. She has also been an active member of the Illinois Committee for Black Concerns in Higher Education.

     The Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday is officially recognized on Monday, January 16, as established by the federal government.

     The public is invited to attend this event. For more information, call College Chaplain Randy Myers at 217-479-7222 or e-mail him at randy.myers@mac.edu.

     Located in Jacksonville, Ill., MacMurray College is a private, four-year, liberal arts, coeducational college, founded in 1846, and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Its friendly, informal environment stresses academic excellence, personal attention, career experience, and well-rounded development of each individual.