Governor Tim Pawlenty today ordered that all U.S. and Minnesota flags be flown at half-staff at the Capitol Complex, including state buildings, monuments and grounds in proximity to and including the Minnesota State Capitol, from sunrise until sunset tomorrow, Tuesday, February 7, 2006, in honor and remembrance of Coretta Scott King.

The following is the text of the Governor's official proclamation:

Whereas:       Coretta Scott King was born on April 27, 1927, in Marion, Alabama, and died on January 31, 2006, at the age of 78; and

Whereas:       Coretta Scott received a bachelor of arts degree in music and education from Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and was studying concert singing at Boston's New England Conservatory of Music when she met Martin Luther King, Jr.; and

Whereas:       Coretta Scott married Martin Luther King, Jr., on June 18, 1953; and

Whereas:       Coretta Scott King was considered by many as the "first lady of the civil rights movement," and was a driving force along with her husband in the fight to end racial segregation and inequality; and

Whereas:       While the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., undoubtedly shattered her life, Coretta Scott King did not allow tragedy to divert her from their shared passion for justice and continued to carry out his dream of equality for all; and

Whereas:       In 1995, Coretta Scott King vowed to "keep on marching for justice, equality, peace, and reconciliation of the human family until I am called home"; and

Whereas:       Coretta Scott King fulfilled that promise and will be remembered throughout history for her steadfast devotion to human rights and her firm commitment to preserving the legacy of her beloved husband, Martin Luther King, Jr.

Now, Therefore, I, Tim Pawlenty, Governor of Minnesota, join President George W. Bush, and do hereby order all U.S. and Minnesota flags be flown at half-staff at the Minnesota State Capitol, and all public buildings and grounds until sunset on the day of her internment, in honor and remembrance of Coretta Scott King.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Minnesota to be affixed at the State Capitol this 7th day of February in the year of our Lord two thousand and six, and of the State the one hundred forty-seventh.