VMI Remembers Daniels

VMI Remembers Daniels Commemoration Featured Film, Wreath Laying

March 4 was a day of remembrance at Virginia Military Institute, as the institute commemorated Jonathan Daniels ’61, alumnus and Episcopal seminarian who responded to the pleas from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. for clergy to become more actively involved in the civil rights movement, and traveled to Alabama to assist with voter registration efforts in the South.

Events at VMI began with the 4th Class cadets viewing the film, “Here I Am, Send Me: The Story of Jonathan Daniels.” Col. Keith Gibson ’77, executive director of the VMI Museum System, introduced the film telling the cadets, “The next 45 minutes may be the most important of your cadetship.”

Immediately after the film, a wreath laying ceremony was held in the Daniels Courtyard. Col. Ley Havird ’90, commandant, gave a brief speech of Daniels’ selfless service, followed by a prayer offered by Col. John Casper ’04, institute chaplain, and the playing of “Amazing Grace” by bagpiper Alden Rhodes ’26. Classes were cancelled for the day.

In August 1965, Daniels and 22 others were arrested for participating in a voter rights demonstration in Fort Deposit, Alabama, and transferred to the county jail in nearby Hayneville.

Shortly after being released on Aug. 20, Richard Morrisroe, a Catholic priest, and Daniels, accompanied two African American teenagers, Joyce Bailey and Ruby Sales, to a Hayneville store to buy a soda. They were met on the steps by Tom Coleman, a construction worker and part-time deputy sheriff, who was carrying a shotgun. Coleman aimed his gun at 16-year-old Ruby Sales, and Daniels pushed her to the ground to protect her, saving her life. The shotgun blast killed Daniels instantly and Morrisroe was seriously wounded.

VMI has held a Jonathan Daniels commemoration ceremony since 1998, a year after the board of visitors voted to establish the Jonathan Daniels Humanitarian Award. Though a recipient of the award may not necessarily be selected each year, it was planned to hold an annual ceremony in February to afford cadets a continuing reminder that it is possible to embody and display heroic qualities of honor, loyalty and devotion at any age and in any circumstances.

The last several years the ceremony has been in early March, driven by the school’s calendar. It also coincides more with Daniel’s birthday, March 20.