Paris-Yates Chapel bells ring 39 times to honor The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Fifty years after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, cities across the nation honored King yesterday by ringing bells 39 times, signifying his age at the time of his death.

Ole Miss was one of the many institutions that joined in the moment of respect by ringing the bells of Paris-Yates Chapel at 6:05 p.m. on Wednesday, right around the time that King was shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. Linda Spargo, special projects coordinator in the chancellor’s office and director of Paris-Yates Chapel, rang the bells.

In Memphis, a crowd gathered around the Lorraine Motel to honor King during the bell-ringing, with the Rev. Al Green singing “Take My Hand, Precious Lord,” the song King requested moments before he was killed. In Atlanta, members of King’s family rang the bell together in front of the crypt of King and his wife.