Head of Southern Christian Leadership Conference dies

(RNS) The Rev. Howard Creecy Jr., a Baptist preacher chosen early this
year as the new president of the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference, died suddenly Thursday (July 28) at the age of 57.

His death means the civil rights organization founded by the late
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. will go through another unexpected
transition. Creecy became president after the Rev. Bernice King, the
founder's daughter, decided in January not to assume the presidency,
citing a leadership clash.

SCLC leaders expressed shock at Creecy's death of a suspected heart
attack but vowed to continue the work he started.