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Bishop Justin Conner Sr., acting president of the Greater Concordia-Catahoula Branch of the NAACP and president of the Tri-Parish Ministerial Alliance opens the commemoration of Frank Morris on Saturday at the Delta Music Museum Arcade Theater. (Sabrina Robertson | The Natchez Democrat)

Dorothy C. Oliver gives a vocal performance at the commemoration on the 60th anniversary of Frank Morris’ murder at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan on Dec. 14, 1964. (Sabrina Robertson | The Natchez Democrat)

Keyboardist Michael Cleveland performs at the commemoration of Frank Morris on Saturday at the Delta Music Museum Arcade Theater. (Sabrina Robertson | The Natchez Democrat)

Dorothy C. Oliver gives a vocal performance at the commemoration on the 60th anniversary of Frank Morris’ murder at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan on Dec. 14, 1964. (Sabrina Robertson | The Natchez Democrat)

Stanley Nelson, former Concordia Sentinel Editor who works with the LSU Cold Case Project gives a presentation on the life, death and the investigation of the death of Frank Morris on Saturday. (Sabrina Robertson | The Natchez Democrat)

Jessica Ingram, author of “Road Through Midnight: A Civil Rights Memorial” gives a presentation Saturday called “Remembering Frank Morris.” (Sabrina Robertson | The Natchez Democrat)

A crowd listens to music and presentations inside the Delta Music Museum Arcade Theater on Saturday honoring Frank Morris on the 60th anniversary of his murder. (Sabrina Robertson | The Natchez Democrat)

Ronnie Reese gives a saxophone performance at the commemoration event. (Sabrina Robertson | The Natchez Democrat)

FERRIDAY, La. — A short paragraph in a Ferriday newspaper acknowledged the fire set by members of the Ku Klux Klan that would take the life of a Ferriday shoe store owner and esteemed businessman Frank Morris on Dec. 14, 1964.

The fire burned Morris’ shoe shop in Ferriday to the ground.

“On the day of his death, 60 years later, we find ourselves saying thank you for all Morris has done for Ferriday,” said Rev. Bishop Justin Conner Sr., acting president of the Greater Concordia-Catahoula Branch of the NAACP and president of the Tri-Parish Ministerial Alliance opens the commemoration of Frank Morris on Saturday at the Delta Music Museum Arcade Theater.

The auditorium was full of people who came to hear about the life of Morris on Saturday, including some who had known him or were family members.

As Jessica Ingram, author of “Road Through Midnight: A Civil Rights Memorial” pointed out Saturday, the recognition of Morris and what was done to him was long overdue.

“Frank Morris had an ad in the paper for over 15 years, and the week after he was murdered, the ad disappeared from the paper,” Ingrams said. “I’ve been diving into the Concordia Sentinel, where Mr. Morris took out an ad for over 15 years, and a Christmas ad for most of those. You’ll see here in December 11, 1964, only a small mention of his murder by the paper. At this point he was injured. Hadn’t died yet. … Thankfully, Stanley Nelson has really made it his mission to amend this record thoroughly in his writing about Mr. Morris and the archive that he’s created for all of us and generations moving forward about the life and murder of Frank Morris.”

In a presentation, Nelson detailed the life of Morris and what he had meant to the Ferriday community, something that the record of his death did not do 60 years ago.

Morris was not only an esteemed businessman but loved gospel music and got along well with people, “always joking, always laughing,” Nelson said.

His store stayed open for long hours, giving hard-working individuals time to visit well into the evenings and “was always filled with workers,” he said.

“Today, we remember Frank but I know his family never forgot him. His friends never forgot him, but a lot of us did forget him. Some of us never knew about him.”

All that remains of the shoe shop is the concrete foundation on which it stood, but Nelson said he has brought journalists, students and people from all walks of life who wanted to see it to its location in Ferriday.

“I’m thankful that we are remembering Frank, and I hope that we continue to do so, and all of these other folks that we lost during that time. There was never any justice. We can’t do anything about that now, too much time has passed, but we can always remember Frank Morris and we can remember his family,” Nelson said in closing.

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