FORMER JUDGE KEYNOTES KING BREAKFAST

Southeast Missouri State University will remember slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with several activities in January and February.

Highlighting the events will be the 14th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast at 8 a.m. on Jan. 18 at the Show Me Center.

Former judge Leslie Isaiah Gaines, senior partner in the Cincinnati law firm of Lawson and Gaines, will speak at the breakfast.

Gaines is an evangelist, motivational speaker and talk-show host.

Admission will be $6.50 for the public, $3 for children ages 6 to 12, free for children under 5 years of age and for Southeast students with a university meal plan.

Tickets won't be sold at the door, but are available at the University Center bookstore Monday through Wednesday, Jan. 4-8 and Jan. 11-17.

Gaines was raised in the rural community of Sandy Spring, Md. He graduated from Sherwood High School in 1963 and enrolled in Maryland State College.

While in school, he was active in the civil rights movement and participated in sit-ins and demonstrations.

He graduated from the school with a bachelor of arts degree in 1967.

He received his law degree in 1971 from Howard University in Washington, D.C.

He practiced law with his wife from 1973 to 1989, when she was appointed a judge of the Hamilton County (Ohio) Domestic Relations Court.

Gaines became a prominent criminal lawyer. He handled nearly 75 homicide cases, securing not guilty verdicts in a number of cases.

He served as an expert commentator on Court TV in New York City. He was a guest on national television programs with noted lawyers F. Lee Bailey, Jerry Spence and Melvin Belli.

He also has appeared on "Extra," "American Journal," and the "Jerry Springer Show."

He was appointed judge of the Hamilton County Municipal Court in Cincinnati in March of 1993. He was elected to a six-year term in 1994.

Gaines stepped down from the bench in February 1996 to become an evangelist and motivational speaker.

He now travels the country preaching and motivating students to "Step Out on Faith" and to reach their God-given potential.

Other events at Southeast in celebration of King's birthday are scheduled to begin in January and continue through February when the school will celebrate Black History Month.

On Jan. 18, the Black Student Fellowship Mass Gospel Choir, along with students from local schools, will perform a Gospel Celebration at 2 p.m. at the West Park Mall Venture Court.

Capping the holiday on Jan. 18 will be the ninth annual Community Celebration at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 235 Broadway.

Beginning Jan. 11, Cape Girardeau elementary school children will have the opportunity to participate in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Art Contest. The children's artwork will be displayed in the University Center Program Lounge through Jan. 31.

Other events include a "March for Tomorrow" at 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 20. The march will begin at Academic Hall and will celebrate the march of the past in remembrance of King. A brief program will follow.

A Carver Day Celebration is planned for Jan. 23 at 2 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom. The event recognizes the contributions of members of the university and the Cape Girardeau community in the areas of community service and the field of science.

A Common Hour program titled "Racial Legacies and Learning" is scheduled for noon on Jan. 27 in the University Center Ballroom.

Participants will discuss how higher education and local communities prepare students to address the legacies of racism and the opportunity for racial reconciliation.

The annual Read-A-Thon is slated to start on Jan. 28 and run through Feb. 12. The program for Cape Girardeau elementary school students encourages cultural diversity through literature.

King Events:

Jan. 11: Art contest begins

Jan. 18: 14th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast

Jan. 18: Gospel celebration

Jan. 18: Community celebration

Jan. 20: March for Tomorrow

Jan. 23: Carver Day Celebration

Jan. 27: Racial Legacies and Learning Common Hour

Jan. 28: Read-A-thon program begins and runs through Feb. 12