Carillons will toll tonight to mark 50th anniversary of MLK assassination

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a man whom many consider to be one of the greatest peacemakers in history, was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of his death, Grand Valley’s Cook Carillon Tower (Allendale Campus) and Beckering Family Carillon (Pew Grand Rapids Campus) will both toll 39 times beginning at 7 p.m. tonight to represent King’s age when he was assassinated.

Grand Valley will join in a chorus of bells ringing at the same time from carillon towers across the U.S., beginning in Memphis.