Picture this: It’s 1966. Your professor tells you in order to graduate you need to interview Martin Luther King, Jr.

Mervyn Warren remembers this intimidation because he had to interview King to complete his doctoral studies at Michigan State University.

“I didn’t know how I would get an interview with him,” Warren said.

Warren shared his experiences with Ohio State students and faculty yesterday in a speech entitled “My Journey with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”

With the help of a mutual contact, King not only granted Warren an interview — he spent the whole day with him.

“Love was the motivating factor in his life,” Warren said. “His principles were love, understanding and forgiveness.”

King was assassinated before Warren could give the civil rights leader a copy of his completed research.

Warren has spent the last three decades researching King’s life, influence and preaching, which culminated in his book, “King Came Preaching.”

Through his research, Warren learned King always put his pastoral duties first.

“Martin Luther King was first and foremost a pastor who happened to get involved in civil rights — not a civil rights leader who happened to be a pastor,” he said.

Warren, provost and professor of preaching at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Ala., said he hopes to recapture the spirit of love and understanding expelled by King.

His speech was part of the President and Provost’s Diversity Lecture Series and is one of several events in celebration of Martin Luther King Day.

Ohio State President Karen Holbrook and Frank Hale, Diversity Lecture Series coordinator, hope the program enriches campus diversity.

“Our goal is that Dr. King’s legacy will live on — not just in January and February, but throughout the year,” Holbrook said.

Hale said speakers are brought in throughout the school year, with the exception of Christmas and spring breaks.

“We want this institution to be a reflection of the world,” Hale said.

Upcoming events to honor Martin Luther King Day include a speech by Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., at 7 p.m. tonight in the Ohio Union Ballroom, and “Project Community MLK Day of Service,” from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday at the Ohio Union.

For more information about these programs contact the Ohio Union at 292-7024.