Memphis Light, Gas and Water will observe 50 Seconds of Silence on Tuesday, April 3, to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. At 11:30 a.m., employees will gather at the Administration Building, 220 S. Main, on the Second Street entrance steps, for prayer led by Dr. James Netters, followed by 50 seconds of quiet contemplation and meditation.

Netters was among the first African Americans elected to the Memphis City Council. He was on the Council during the 1968 Sanitation Strike.

A longtime civil rights activist and senior pastor at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, Netters has strong ties to the utility. He was appointed to the MLGW Board of Commissioners in 1984 and was the interim President and CEO in 2004. MLGW’s James L. Netters Business Center off Whitten Road was named in his honor.

The steps of MLGW’s facility entrance on Second overlook the newly constructed MLK Reflection Site which is home to the relocated “I Have Been to the Mountaintop” sculpture. Since April 4 is a holiday for City of Memphis workers, gathering on April 3 will allow employees the opportunity to collectively celebrate and honor the memory of Dr. King.

MLGW is the largest three-service public power utility in the nation, serving more than 426,000 customers in Memphis and Shelby County.