University Star

Community leaders including Mayor Daniel Guerrero break ground for the LBJ-MLK Crossroads memorial.

People of all ages, races and occupations gathered Monday at the Hays County Courthouse to commemorate and acknowledge Martin Luther King, Jr. and break ground on a memorial to be built in his honor.

Participants marched from the courthouse to the intersection of LBJ Drive and MLK Street, the site where a memorial for King and Lyndon Baines Johnson will soon be placed.

A variety of speakers participated in the event, including a few of Texas State’s own political science instructors. They spoke about King’s message and what the statue is meant to commemorate, linking the ideals of Johnson and King together, which in turn reflects the crossroads of LBJ Drive and MLK Street.

“King has such a huge presence in American life, and it’s just a happy accident that our LBJ and MLK streets intersect,” said Ed Mihalkanin, political science professor, after delivering his speech at the groundbreaking ceremony. “It is important to remember the important people of the past, and hopefully this memorial allows us to talk about these men and their work.”

Aaron Hussey, sculptor, designed the memorial for the intersection.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, a choir sang while others took shovels topped with large red bows and tossed dirt up from the ground.

The San Marcos Unitarian Universalist Fellowship hosted a pie social following the ground breaking ceremony. Participants were presented with a diverse selection of pies, coffee, hot chocolate, water and punch. The social’s slogan was “Everyone Deserves a Peace of the Pie.”

Mayor Daniel Guerrero speaks at the ceremony commemorating the MLK-LBJ Crossroads Memorial.

“In our community we have the Hispanics, the African-Americans and the whites where we all come together to cooperate and work together to make the community a better place,” said Jeannie Lewis, social justice chair of the fellowship. “This is a symbol of this. We all have a piece of the pie. We are all coming together to make the pie better.”

Lewis also expressed how she would like the event to take place annually at the memorial.

The social was cosponsored by many other churches, including Jackson Chapel United Methodist, Centro Cultural Hispano de San Marcos and the Dunbar Heritage Association. These churches contributed by bring their own pies for the social. Participants were also encouraged to bring a pie of their own to share.

The memorial, designed by sculptor Aaron P. Hussey, is projected to be finished in late March. It will stand to honor the messages of King and the ideals of Johnson, Southwest Texas State Teachers College alumnus.

“This means a lot to this community,” said Reuben Brooks, a member of Jackson Chapel. “The thing about San Marcos is there hasn’t been a day that we have not been together. This community bands together all the time.”