Friday, April 3, 2009

Father Ryan & The MLK Assassination



It was early in the evening on April 4, 1968, 41 years ago.

It was a school night, so many of us might have just been sitting down to or finishing our dinner. Or maybe (for a change) we were doing our homework. All of us completely unaware of what was about to happen.

Then came the shocking news from Memphis which echoed all across the nation, the world and now throughout history....



It is interesting to note the soundbite CBS News used from Dr. King's last speech. It was not the portion of his comments that have gone down in history as "The Mountain Top" speech because of Dr. King's near prediction of his own death as he closed his remarks...



The murder of Dr. King in Memphis had an immediate impact on those of us attending Father Ryan. As was mentioned earlier in the CBS News report, Governor Buford Ellington quickly called out the National Guard.

Some took up positions in residential neighborhoods in North Nashville, where they greeted some of our black classmates (Lindsey Draper,Ted Lenox,Carlton Crutchfield, among others) the very next morning, standing guard with fixed bayonets when our friends went out to get the morning paper.Frankly, it was a reaction that not only shocked and frightened them, but made them more than a bit mad, I remember one of them telling me.

It was a difficult time all over the country, especially in those early hours after the King assassination when presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy, soon to be the victim of an assassination himself, spoke to a crowd in Indianapolis...



Despite Robert Kennedy's words, there were riots in more than 100 cities all over the country, including a few acts of violence here in Nashville. Mayor Beverly Briley imposed a dusk to dawn curfew for nearly a week here in town, as the National Guard stayed camped out in Centennial Park, just behind Father Ryan.

All day long while we were in class, you could see and hear the movement of troops as jeeps, personnel carriers, even a few tanks when up and down the road behind school. We even joked that the aircraft carrier, U.S.S. Missouri, then on duty off the coast of North Vietnam, would soon be coming down the Cumberland River.

But despite the tragedy of the situation, something occurred that was of benefit to Father Ryan. According to our classmates Phil Mattingly and Jimmy Wilson, our wrestling team was desperately trying to raise money for a new mat.

They had been selling doughnuts to get the funds, and the influx of so many hungry National Guardsmen proved a real boon to their efforts. In fact, they more than exceeded their money goal for the mat from feeding the troops (even though they remember some of the doughnuts had gotten a little stale).

My strong memory of that historic week was being involved as a singer in what I believe to be the first folk mass wedding ever held in Nashville at Holy Rosary Church. I was involved with Class of 1968 members Bob Sharp and Bob McKeown along with Chris Williams of the FRHS Class of 1970.

Now today, nobody would think twice about singing folk songs or having a guitar or an electric bass at a Mass. But back in 1968, it seemed as odd and different as suggesting that one day there would be a national holiday to commemerate Dr. King.

We'd already had at least one priest back out of saying the nuptials. Then the King murder made matters even more surreal, as a couple of members of the wedding party were called up to serve in the Guard,and the wedding itself, along with the reception were moved up to the afternoon to avoid problems with the curfew.

Our last minute practices were also difficult to schedule to avoid conflicts with being caught out after hours. I clearly remember riding home from Donelson and seeing all the businesses closed and shuttered, with police and Guardsmen everywhere.

But, when I think back, that was the kind of crazy year it was in 1968, even if all you were doing was going to high school at Father Ryan.

What are your memories of that historic time? Please feel free to share them below. I have adjusted the settings so leaving your comments is very easy to do, or e-mail them to me (pat.nolan@dvl.com).

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