In 1999, Most Worshipful Brother, Benjamin P. Barksdale, Grand Master of Prince Hall Freemasonry in Georgia, posthumously made Dr. Martin Luther King a Mason at sight. The action was not without controversy, since it is one of the few instances (if not the only one) of declaring a man a Mason after his death. Dr. King's widow, Coretta Scott King, accepted the honor on behalf of her late husband. Prince Hall documentation indicates Grand Master X. L. Neal had arranged for Dr. King to become a Freemason upon his return from Atlanta in 1968, an act which was prevented by Dr. King's assassination, 44 years ago today.
