Rev. John L. Alford Sr.

Rev. John L. Alford Sr.. (1940~2018). Born December 24, 1940, in Chambers County, John L. Alford Sr. was an educator, clergyman, humanitarian, and civil rights leader. After graduating from high school in Lanett, he attended Alabama State University and Selma University, earning degrees in elementary education and theology. He was a Mason and a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. , While enrolled at Alabama State, Alford participated in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march. Thereafter, he was involved in sit-ins and nonviolent protests in Montgomery, Tuskegee, and Eufaula. Alford championed a number of social justice causes, chief among them combatting police misconduct. In 2000, he held a "lay down protest in the Montgomery mayor's office while seeking creation of a civilian police review board. Alford was a member of the NAACP and held local and state leadership positions with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and served on the organization's national board of directors., In addition to his civil rights work, Alford co-chaired an effort to establish economic relations between Alabama and the West African country of Benin. In 1974, Alford began his pastorate here at Mt. Gillard Missionary Baptist Church, where he remained until 2004. Rev. John L. Alford Sr. served humanity in hopes of a better tomorrow for all. He died on November 19, 2018.