Fort Valley State honors Julian Bond

FORT VALLEY -- On the campus where he lived as a child, a small group gathered Saturday to honor civil rights leader Julian Bond.

Bond, who died a week earlier at 75, spent part of this childhood at Fort Valley State University, where his father was the first president.

Bond went on to become a member of the Georgia General Assembly, a leading voice in the civil rights movement and president of the NAACP.

About 25 FVSU alumni, staff and students gathered in the quadrangle, in the shadow of a monument that honors Bond’s father and two other FVSU leaders, to pay tribute to him.

The brief ceremony began with some welcoming words by Lawrence Malloy, secretary of the student government association, and Marquita Garnes, vice president of the student government association. After that, the group gathered around the water fountain, with each attendee tossing in flower petals in Bond’s honor. Then they sang “We Shall Overcome.”

“He fought for civil rights for everyone and he made a significant mark here at Fort Valley State University,” Malloy said.

Thomas Palmer, the former dean of students at FVSU, knew Bond personally.

“We had him here on campus many times to speak, back in the ‘70s,” Palmer said after the ceremony. “He had a purpose in mind, and he actually fought for all of the things that he believed in.”

Walter Milton, a marketing lecturer for the school, was a student at Atlanta University when Bond was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1965. Milton worked for Bond’s father at the time.

The House members voted not to seat him because of comments he had made in support of those who were not responding to draft notices. He had to go to the U.S. Supreme Court, which unanimously ordered the body to seat him.

Milton remembered that well.

“Julian, he was an activist,” Milton said. “He was connected from a child to this university.”

Wallace Keese, the dean of students at FVSU, said the school wanted to do something to honor him because of his connection to the university. The family connection isn’t over, either, Keese noted. Bond’s grandson is currently a student at the university.

“The Bond family is a legacy here at the institution,” Keese said.

To contact writer Wayne Crenshaw, call 256-9725.

This story was originally published August 22, 2015 at 8:00 PM with the headline "Fort Valley State honors Julian Bond ."