Jan. 15 marked the 78th birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was also the 11th consecutive year I have been organizing and emceeing the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Keeping the Dream Alive” breakfasts on the University of Maine campus in Orono. Our Orono celebration of Dr. King is the largest in this area and the second largest in the state. We had more than 200 guests in attendance despite fairly heavy snow falling.

Greeting our guests were Gov. John Baldacci, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, University of Maine President Robert Kennedy, and state Sen. Elizabeth Schneider. The Rev. Dr. William C. Imes, president of the Bangor Theological Seminary, gave the invocation. Our keynote speaker was the Rev. Forrest Pritchett, head of black studies at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., who spoke about “Building the Dream.” Each year we have table discussion questions which help those in attendance not only to get to know each other, but also to develop individual, personal plans for themselves as to how they will work at keeping King’s dream alive throughout the next 365 days. The Rev. Brad Mitchell, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor, gave the closing prayer.

The highlight of this, our 11th consecutive “Keeping the Dream Alive” breakfast celebration, that moved me personally to tears of joy, was University of Maine President Robert Kennedy’s announcement that the University of Maine is planning to build a memorial on campus between Stevens Hall and the Memorial Union dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King.

I knew and worked with Dr. King, and I walked behind the mule-drawn wagon carrying his body at his Atlanta funeral in 1968. This memorial is very special to me personally because it will be a daily reminder of him, his life, and the love he wanted all people to have for one another regardless of our color, race, religion or station in life.

We are truly all God’s children and we should be living the Dr. King dream daily. This memorial will help, not only the students, faculty and administration, but the local community and all visitors to campus as a reminder to be involved in making sure that Dr. King’s dream comes true.

I spoke with President Kennedy after the breakfast, and was told that I could be a part of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King Memorial Project Committee. I am honored and proud to have a chance to be a part of this committee. I hope that many citizens of Maine will get behind this very important project to honor the legacy of Dr. and Mrs. King and will become a symbol toward assuring that King’s dream will become a reality.

James Varner is president emeritus of the Greater Bangor Area NAACP and resides in Old Town.