THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 14, 1995 TAG: 9501140165
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE KNEPLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
Fund-raising prospects look brighter for the long-proposed monument to Martin Luther King Jr., a project that has become riddled with doubts in recent years.
Last March, Hunter A. Hogan Jr. challenged fellow business leaders to help raise money for the monument as a show of concern about race relations.
Now, he says, his plea has been answered with about $150,000 in donations and pledges from local corporations and private foundations, bringing the total to $350,000.
But, Hogan said, construction of the 150-foot-tall monument will cost $500,000 to $550,000 instead of the $450,000 previously estimated.
Still, Hogan said he is optimistic.
``I'm shooting for another $200,000,'' Hogan said Friday. ``I hope to get it wound up by spring.
``I'm getting a real good reception. I think people realize it would be a big thing for the black community and a good thing for the city.''
Hogan's forecast on fund raising came as area cities prepare to commemorate the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday holiday Monday.
``Martin Luther King did more for blacks than anyone in history. He's their hero,'' said Hogan, who is white. ``It would be a shame to let this project go down the drain, and it was about to last year when people started asking for their money back that they had donated.''
The idea for the monument originated with the late Joseph A. Jordan Jr., when he was a Norfolk city councilman in the mid-1970s. The project now is headed by the Joe Jordan Foundation, with help from the Urban League of Hampton Roads.
The monument, an aluminum spire atop a granite base, would be built in a traffic circle at Church Street and Brambleton Avenue in an area that once was the hub of Norfolk's black population.
Hogan threw his support behind the project last March when he was honored with the Norfolk First Citizen of the Year award.
``It's a pity for us not to pitch in and get this done,'' he told 300 of the area's most affluent and influential residents who gathered at the award banquet.
An octogenarian, Hogan often is called the dean of the area's real estate industry. He also has been a longtime leader in Norfolk's civic-improvement efforts.
Hogan said he bases his corporate fund-raising appeals on Norfolk's long tradition of civic-mindedness.
The corporate contributions and pledges, he said, have ranged from $5,000 to $50,000.
``Norfolk is a city that usually completes the tasks it undertakes,'' said Harvey Lindsay, another real estate and civic leader who is helping Hogan. ``This is a very important one, and the city needs to get it done. A lot of people share that feeling.''
Hogan's efforts have re-enthused members of the Joe Jordan Foundation.
``We're thankful for Mr. Hogan. I don't know what we'd do without him. Money was getting so tight,'' said Rosa Alexander, chairwoman of the fund-raising committee. ``We're depending on him.''
But Hogan's efforts also represent some change in philosophy at the Jordan Foundation.
The late Joseph Jordan envisioned raising most of the money from average citizens. Indeed, previous donations included a 29-cent contribution, said Anna Jordan Brinkley, a sister of Joseph Jordan.
``Of course, we were hoping that the man in the street would lead the collection effort,'' said Jordan's brother William, the foundation's president. ``But we're all part of the same community. We welcome the effort. We need each other.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by MOTOYA NAKAMURA, Staff
Jerry Tatum Jr., a Norfolk State senior and a member of the NSU
Chorus, sings ``Precious Lord'' at the memorial service.
An estimated 675 marchers joined Friday's tribute to the slain civil
rights leader on NSU's campus. King would have been 66 on Sunday.
KEYWORDS: MARTIN LUTHER KING MONUMENT by CNB