Heart and Armor Presents Reverend William Greason, Montford Point Marine

Heart and Armor Presents

Reverend William Greason, Montford Point Marine
100th Birthday Celebration

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

Questions about this event? Please email us here - Greason100@heartandarmor.org

ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SERVICE AND CITIZENSHIP

Throughout 100 years of American life, William Greason has been directly connected to some of the United States’ most consequential and historic people, places, moments and movements.

• Attending Ebenezer Baptist church as a boy with a young Martin Luther King Jr.

• Becoming one of the first black men to wear a Marine Corps uniform

• Saluting the American flag as it was raised at Iwo Jima, as part of the 66th supply platoon

• Being discovered as a gifted multi-sport athlete

• Becoming a curveball specialist and elite baseball prospect at age 23

• Mentoring a young teenage baseball talent on the Birmingham Black Barons named Willie Mays

• Pitching in the Negro League World Series at Rickwood Field in 1948

• Becoming the first black pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals in the Major Leagues

• Enduring the 1963 bombing of his Church - 16th Street Baptist - by the Ku Klux Klan, which killed four young members of his congregation

• Taking the wisdom and wounds from his life’s journey toward a doctoral degree in divinity studies in Birmingham, Alabama

• Serving as pastor at Bethel Baptist Church for 53 years

• Organizing service projects throughout the years for those in need

• Offering passionate sermons each and every Sunday, even now, at age 99

A DAY OF FELLOWSHIP

Driven by the veteran and active-duty military communities, the Heart and Armor Foundation celebrated Reverend William Greason's 100th Birthday at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama on Tuesday, Sept 3.

THE EVENT

A participatory exhibit on Rickwood Field offered Reverend Greason a public trip through his 100-year journey. The men and women who have stood on his shoulders - veterans, ballplayers, Birmingham residents, Bethel Baptist Church congregants - accompanied him on a tour of the critical moments of his life. Participants revisited the actions, cultural context and impact of his acts of service.

• First Base: William Greason joins the US Marine Corps in Atlanta, Georgia

• Second Base: Barons Pitcher William Greason wins Game 3 of the 1948 Negro League World Series

• Third Base: Pizitz deliveryman William Greason enrolls in Easonian Bible College in Birmingham, Alabama

• Home: Reverend William Greason is celebrated for 53 years as senior pastor at Bethel Baptist Church, Berney Points

LOOKING FORWARD

Reverend Greason’s example of ‘serving others’ will be honored with a rich and meaningful service project as a finale to the commemoration. All participants will join forces to assemble packages of sustenance for members of the Birmingham community in need.

We will ensure that Reverend Greason’s legacy is no longer overlooked. Church repairs, veterans health care, and documentary legacy projects are available for public support to honor Reverend Greason in the weeks, months, and years ahead.

FOR MORE INFO OR TO SEND REVEREND GREASON A BIRTHDAY MESSAGE

Greason100@heartandarmor.org