BIDDEFORD — On Monday, millions around the country will be observing the holiday honoring the social justice and civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The activist, humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize winner left a lasting legacy on the country through his work fighting for justice and equality until his untimely death when he was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn.

While the country celebrates King’s legacy for one day, the University of New England will celebrate the man and his work throughout the semester as the school marks the 50th anniversary of King’s visit to Biddeford.

King spoke at St. Francis College, which would become UNE, on the second day of a two-day symposium entitled “I have a dream ”¦ The Negro and the American Quest for Identity.” The symposium was held May 6-7, 1964.

Former St. Francis professors David DeTurk and Alfred Poulin decided to hold a civil rights symposium at the school, said DeTurk, in an interview in a documentary produced 10 years ago by former UNE student Paul Clark. Both DeTurk and Poulin are now deceased.

“Al and I were sitting in my kitchen,” said DeTurk, when they decided to invite King to the symposium.

The two men looked up the number for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Ga. and DeTurk called the center.

“The next thing I heard,” said DeTurk, “was that voice ”“ that memorable, deep voice: ”˜Hello, this is Dr. King.’”

“After which point, I think I was thunderstruck and speechless,” said DeTurk.

After explaining about the symposium that the college was planning, he invited King to participate.

“There was a pause on his end as he thought about that for a second,” said DeTurk, “and he came back and said, ”˜Yes, I have never spoken in Maine.’

“And there we were.”

Twenty minutes later, the arrangements were made, said DeTurk.

“It was quite an occasion” when King came to speak, said former St. Francis Athletic Director James Beaudry, who attended King’s talk.

Not only was there local coverage, he said, but the college was also the center of national media attention, with reporters from Times and Newsweek and other publications covering the event.

UNE switchboard operator Georgette Sutton also saw King speak 50 years ago.

“My husband came home and said Martin Luther King is coming to St. Francis and I want you to come,” said Sutton. Her husband, now deceased, was the dean of men at St. Francis.

In order for her to come, “he paid $35 for a babysitter,” which was a lot of money at the time, she said.

Although she said she isn’t an educated woman and didn’t know much about the civil rights movement, “that day I knew it was special,” said Sutton. “There were people on campus from all over the state of Maine.”

The campus was “jam-packed,” she said, especially the Decary annex, where the symposium took place. It was a gym at the time and is now Leonard Hall.

His voice was “powerful,” said Sutton. “When he spoke, you could have heard a pin drop.”

“It was a very emotional day,” she said. “You knew something important was going on.”

UNE has held events honoring King for many years, said Donna Gaspar Jarvis, the director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs & Diversity, who has overseen these events for the eight years she’s been at the university.

“This year has special significance with Martin Luther King being here 50 years ago in May,” she said.

“It was pretty progressive for the Franciscans to even envision and reach out to Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders” who spoke at the symposium, said Gaspar Jarvis.

This year’s events, which will be held throughout the semester, with activities on both the Biddeford and Portland campuses, will focus on history and remembrance, King’s legacy and continuing issues, she said.

On Monday, the University of New England will be honored at the NAACP Portland Branch annual MLK Jr. breakfast, highlighting ways in which UNE has contributed to social change efforts in Maine and regionally. The breakfast is scheduled for 8-11 a.m. at the Holiday Inn by the Bay, 88 Spring St., Portland.

Also on Monday, the university will host the MLK Jr. 50th Anniversary Celebration, from 6-7:30 p.m., at Leonard Hall, UNE Biddeford Campus. The event commemorating King’s visit will include a reception, the unveiling of permanent MLK Jr. artwork at St. Francis College Art Exhibit, music and songs from the civil rights movement, and the screening of the documentary film featuring King’s historic visit to St. Francis College.

On Wednesday, there will be two keynote speakers: On the Biddeford campus, Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, will speak about “Economic Empowerment and Poverty Income Inequality: New Civil Rights Imperative,” at noon, at the Multipurpose Rooms, Campus Center. Lunch will be served.

On the Portland campus, Starla Hairston Blanks, director of Health Promotion and Policy at Community Voices: Healthcare for the Underserved at Morehouse School of Medicine, will speak on “Community Engagement through Health Empowerment” at noon, at Ludcke Auditorium. Lunch will be served.

For a listing of other Martin Luther King Jr. events, visit the University of New England website at www.une.edu.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324 or [email protected].