U. of Mississippi commemorates 40th anniversary of integration

OXFORD, Miss. -- Former U.S. Marshal Al Butler returned Tuesday to the University of Mississippi and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the other graying lawmen who 40 years ago battled a mob trying to keep a black man from enrolling.

Butler and the others presented Ole Miss with a sketch, titled "On The Threshold Of A Dream," on the steps of the Lyceum Building, which still bears the scars of the rioting that left two dead and more than 200 injured.

The sketch depicts a dark figure on the steps of the Lyceum with a ribbon of red spilling down its stairs.

Later, Butler and the others were recognized by the city of Oxford, where the university is located. More than 200 people, including Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, were on hand for the downtown presentation. Banners on nearby buildings promoted the Rebel football team, and the smell of pork barbecue was heavy in the air.

"I hope they know they are honoring some of the most courageous, and unfortunately, unheralded men that ever wore a badge," said the 73-year-old Butler, who traveled from his home in North Carolina.

Only a handful of black spectators watched the emotional hour-long ceremony during which Mayor Richard Howorth thanked the men for their service and presented them with keys to the city.

Musgrove told those being honored that the enrollment of James Meredith had "helped change a mindset linked to the past, shifting instead to the future."

Meredith, 69, is expected to take part in some of the ceremonies.

The yearlong commemoration, dubbed "Open Doors: Building on 40 Years of Opportunity in Higher Education," includes an oral history of Ole Miss, various symposiums, and the April unveiling of a $130,000 memorial. It culminates in September 2003 with an international conference on race.

Though Meredith's presence on campus triggered the 1962 riot, he was safe. He had been escorted to a dormitory by federal troops and enrolled the next day.