The University of Saint Francis enthusiastically hosted the 60th Anniversary Celebration commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech in Fort Wayne in 1963.

The celebration took place in conjunction with the Pillars of Hope and Justice Monument Dedication, held on June 5 at the corner of Main and Ewing streets. Martin Luther King, III, spoke at the event and at the celebration inside the University of Saint Francis Robert Goldstine Performing Arts Center. He delivered a speech from the same spot as his father spoke exactly 60 years earlier.

“The University of Saint Francis was pleased and humbled to be part of a tremendous evening honoring the legacy of Dr. King and his visit to Fort Wayne,” Saint Francis Interim President Dr. Lance Richey said. “The University thanks everyone involved in this event and offers a special note of appreciation to Dr. Clifford F. Buttram, Jr., director of the USF Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership, for his volunteer work on this project over the last three years.”


Martin Luther King, III “Fort Wayne celebrated a national, cultural and spiritual leader whose impact has not diminished since his visit in June 1963,” Dr. Buttram said. “It is fantastic to see this three-year project reach its fruition and serve as a lasting tribute to Dr. King’s appearance in Fort Wayne 60 years ago to the day.”

In addition to Martin Luther King, III, guests and speakers included Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry, the Fort Wayne City Council, History Center Executive Director Todd Pelfrey, Rev. Bill McGill, the Fort Wayne Community Choir and many more dignitaries and monument-planning participants.

The Pillars of Hope and Justice monument features six pillars set in a circular configuration around a stone or concrete plaza. Each pillar evokes both ancient architectural pillars and growing reeds of papyrus that emerge from the ground and bend outwards at the top. The organic form of papyrus reeds evokes Dr. King’s vision of nonviolent resistance. The sculptural, steel forms were waterjet cut with words from King’s 1963 speech in Fort Wayne. The waterjet words dramatically arc over visitors, evoking King’s statement, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” The pillars are approximately 15 feet tall. LED ground up-lights in the center of each pillar illuminate them at night.

The design and creation of Pillars of Hope and Justice was made possible with funds from the City of Fort Wayne; Harriett Inskeep; The Journal Gazette Foundation; The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Fund, a fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne; and the Fort Wayne Public Art Commission.


Sheryl Edwards, Dr. Clifford F. Buttram, Jr., and Ruby Bates

The sculpture dedication and 60th Anniversary Celebration were made possible through partnership with the Fort Wayne Public Art Commission; the City of Fort Wayne; Arts United; the Canterbury School’s Jonathan Hancock Lecture Series; the University of Saint Francis; and Sweetwater.