Henning, Tenn.
Dedicated Aug. 9, 2014
Partners: Tennessee Historical Commission, Alex Haley Museum & Interpretive Center Staff and Board
The Alex Haley Museum & Interpretive Center was dedicated a Literary Landmark in honor of the author.
More than 150 people joined the museum staff and board at the ceremony for Alex Haley (1921-1992), as well as to celebrate what would have been Haley’s 93rd birthday. The program included the unveiling of the official Literary Landmark bronze plaque; proclamations by city, county, and state officials; the United States Coast Guard and Color Guard Detail; commissioners and Historic Sites Program Director Martha Akins, from the Tennessee Historical Commission; music by trumpeter Joshua Campbell, and vocalist Charlotte Ammons.
Other speakers included Henning Mayor Marva Temple, Lauderdale County Mayor Pro-Tem Eugene Pugh, and State Representative Craig Fitzhugh. The master of ceremonies was WMC-TV 5 news anchor Justin Hanson.
Other special guests were Haley’s grandson and wife, Michael and Melody Baker of North Carolina; Alex Haley researcher Darren Desepoli of New York, and author Lucas Johnson of Nashville.
“We are so elated to receive this well-deserved honor, and the opportunity to share the good news with the world,” said Paula Boger, executive director of the Alex Haley Museum.
Haley’s boyhood home, which was built by his grandfather, William E. Palmer, in 1919, served as a seat of inspiration for Haley’s Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Haley’s works, life, and legacy are preserved by the museum.
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