LeMoyne-Owen College to honor Myron Lowery’s civic legacy during Memphis MLK Day events Monday
A campus tribute tied to the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day observances
LeMoyne-Owen College is set to honor the legacy of Myron Lowery during Martin Luther King Jr. Day events in Memphis on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. The planned recognition connects Lowery’s long public career with a college community he supported as an alumnus and benefactor.
The tribute is scheduled as part of the Memphis Alumni Chapter’s 35th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast, followed by a procession to LeMoyne-Owen’s campus at 807 Walker Ave. for a ceremony at the Lowery Communication Center. The program lists former Tennessee State University president Glenda Baskin-Glover, now president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., as the keynote speaker for the breakfast.
What the program includes
A prayer breakfast scheduled for the morning of Jan. 19, 2026, at the Renasant Convention Center in Downtown Memphis.
A procession from the breakfast to LeMoyne-Owen College for a ceremony connected to the Lowery Communication Center.
An element of memorialization planned at the communication center, where Lowery’s cremains are to be enshrined.
Lowery’s public service record and ties to LeMoyne-Owen
Lowery, a prominent figure in Memphis civic life for decades, died on Sept. 27, 2025, at age 78. His career spanned local government and broadcasting, including service as Memphis mayor pro tempore in 2009, after the retirement of Mayor Willie W. Herenton. He also served as Memphis City Court Clerk from 2020 to 2024 and spent years on the Memphis City Council, including as chair.
Lowery’s connection to LeMoyne-Owen extended beyond alumni status. In January 2025, the college dedicated the Lowery Communication Center, described by the school and local reporting as a hands-on training facility supporting student work in broadcasting and media production. The center includes student-facing platforms such as Magic 807 Radio and LOC TV.
The MLK Day program pairs a citywide commemoration with a campus-based recognition of a local public servant whose career intersected government, media and community institutions.
Why the MLK Day recognition is significant for Memphis institutions
The Jan. 19 events reflect a broader pattern in Memphis of linking MLK Day programming with civic service and community reflection. For LeMoyne-Owen, the schedule also highlights a legacy project anchored on campus: a communication center intended to support student training while serving as a permanent site of remembrance for a major alumnus.
LeMoyne-Owen previously honored Lowery publicly during homecoming season in 2025, when the Lowery family served as grand marshal for the college’s homecoming parade. The MLK Day observances expand that recognition into the city’s annual civil-rights remembrance calendar.