Several events honoring Martin Luther King Jr. will take place at NIU as millions of Americans reflected yesterday upon the life of the late civil rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner.

NIU Professor John Ewell, a former classmate of King’s, said “There can be little doubt about Martin Luther King’s outstanding influence on the developement of social trends in this country.”

Both Ewell and King attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., from 1944 to 1948 where they heard several well known public figures speak.

“Even as a 16-year-old, King was not far below the level of these public speakers, and as he grew older, he surpassed them. I remember how he could hold an audience spellbound,” Ewell said.

The film “King-A Film Record: Montgomery to Memphis,” depicting King’s life and including his famous “I have a dream” speech, will be shown to students free of charge at 7:30 tonight at United Campus Ministry, 901 Lucinda.

On Monday, Jan. 25, Illinois Comptroller Roland Burris will be the key speaker at NIU’s annual memorial service for King.

The service, entitled “How the Dream Continues in Us,” will be held in the NIU Music Building’s Boutell Memorial Concert Hall at 8:45 p.m.

Larry Robertson, NIU Student Association minority relations adviser said, “Burris will be speaking on how Dr. King started paving the way for not just blacks but all minorities in America.”

Burris will speak to the students about how their activities on campus can help them continue the dream when they go out into the “real world,” Robertson said.