RIO GRANDE — The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be celebrated Tuesday, Jan. 22 at the University of Rio Grande/Rio Grande Community College.

The Rio Grande campus will be closed in recognition of MLK Day on Monday, Jan. 21. All classes and administrative offices will resume regular hours Tuesday.

Rio’s celebration is schedule for 7 p.m. in the Alphas R. Christensen Theatre located within the Berry Fine and Performing Arts Center. Financial Aid Administrative Assistant Sabrina Hurt will serve as Master of Ceremonies with an invocation by Pastor Gene Armstrong, music by Christian Scott and Ordinary People and special guest speaker Robert Gordon.

Gordon serves as Project Manager in the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University. He also serves as Coordinator for the Mayor’s Partnership for Progress, is an Ohio representative on the Central Appalachia Regional Network and was appointed to the Ohio Humanities Council in 2011.

Among Gordon’s many accomplishments was his appointment as Gallipolis City Manager, the first African-American to serve the city in that capacity.

“Dr. King left us a legacy of peace, non-violent protests and living with the richness we now call cultural diversity,” Rio Grande President Dr. Barbara Gellman-Danley said. “Rio is honored to celebrate his memory.”

The event also will feature readings from an essay contest with winners announced by RSVP and Volunteer Network Center Director Susan Roger. Multi-ethnic Director Meau Jones also will present Rio Grande’s Black History Month activities schedule with guests treated to snacks and refreshments,

For more information about Rio Grande’s MLK celebration contact Marshall Kimmel at 740-245-7339.