A black and white photograph of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. standing with his hands resting on the back of a chair and looking beyond the camera. The photograph is presumably a promotional photograph that was mailed to Springfield College before he delivered the 1964 commencement speech. In 1964, Springfield College shared a moment in history often overlooked by historians with honorary degree recipient and commencement speaker Martin Luther King Jr. Despite significant pressure from prominent shareholders and benefactors of the College to not invite Martin Luther King to speak at Commencement, college President Glenn A. Olds, a minister and conscientious objector during World War II, refused to waver. When King was arrested the day before, Olds contacted law enforcement officials, telling them that if they continued to hold King, school officials would fly down to tape the commencement address, leaving St. Augustine to deal with the attendant publicity. Whether or not his intervention played a role, King was released on a nine hu. The front reads #1 166. The back says, "Please return to: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 334 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, Georgia, 30303" as well as "Please Return To Public Relations Office, Springfield College, Springfield, Mass. 01109."
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