Photographs of King family to be featured at breakfast

Photos of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his family taken by several photographers, including Thomas Jesse "T.J." Locke Jr., will be shown at the 18th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Breakfast at 8 a.m. Monday in the Show Me Center.

T.J. Locke Jr. is the father of Dr. Ivy Locke, vice president for business and finance at Southeast Missouri State University. T.J. Locke served as a photographer for the family of King for many years in Atlanta.

In addition to the photography show, this annual breakfast will feature Missouri State Sen. Maida Coleman of the 5th Senatorial District as guest speaker.

Admission is $7 for adults, $3 for children ages 6 to 12, free for children 5 and under, $3 for Southeast students without a meal plan, and free for Southeast students with a university meal plan. Tickets will not be sold at the door but are still available at Schnucks Food and Drug today and at Southeast Bookstore through Friday.

While T.J. Locke will not be in attendance at the breakfast, Dr. Irene Ferguson, co-chair of the Martin Luther King Jr. Planning Committee, said his photos truly show the historical significance of the life and work of King.

A graduate of Savannah State College, T.J. Locke taught biology and math at Harper High School in Atlanta for many years, where he also advised the camera club and yearbook staff.

As a free-lancer, he took photos for several newspapers in the Atlanta area. His work has been published by JET magazine, United Press International and other wire services, the Atlanta Voice, the Atlanta Daily World and the Atlanta Inquirer.

In 1963, Coretta Scott King asked Locke to photograph her family in a variety of settings -- at their home, at their church and at Hertz Park.

"Mrs. King would see my father around taking photos at community events and at the Y.M.C.A.," Dr. Locke said.

"He believed in documenting history."

Speaking on photography, T.J. Locke said, "It's about the best thing you can do. I like the fact that you can choose your own product. It's an art. I can see a picture in a split second."

T.J. Locke found it thrilling that he had an opportunity to work so closely with King, though at that time King had not yet reached widespread recognition.

"Martin was just an ordinary man around here," the photographer said.

For additional information about Monday's breakfast, contact Ferguson at 651-2263 or Dr. Ivy Locke at 651-2570. Details about the King commemoration and Black History Month can be found at www.semo.edu/mlk/.

Dr. Locke remembers accompanying her father on a photo shoot to the King home as a young girl. She recalls her father asking her to sit quietly in an outer hallway where an authentic bearskin rug kept her company while he took photos in an adjacent room.

She also distinctly recalls being a classmate of Martin King III during preschool at Atlanta University Nursery School. Locke photographed them together waiting to receive their diplomas.