Jeff Garringer (left) of the Fayette County Historical Society and Fayette County Museum receives a plaque donation from Dr. John Nestor on behalf of his family regarding Martin Luther King Jr.
Gail Allen | R-H photos
This plaque commemorates the telegram sent to Edwin C. Nestor, a former Washington High School principal, from Coretta Scott King on behalf of the school’s recognition of her husband, Martin Luther King, Jr.
WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE — Dr. John Nestor and family donated a piece of history to the Fayette County Museum in memory of his father, Edwin C. Nestor, a former principal of Washington High School and later school superintendent.
It was a tumultuous time in 1971, and Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King, Jr., sent a telegram to Edwin C. Nestor at Washington High School regarding the planned program at an assembly at the school on Feb. 5, 1971, to honor Dr. King. The telegram was sent from 234 Sunset Ave., Atlanta, Georgia, the King family home where Dr. King lived until his death in 1965.
It is historically significant since this all took place prior to the federal national holiday being established in 1983 for Martin Luther King, Jr., and prior to many schools holding recognition for Dr. King. Washington High School was one of the first schools in the Ohio area to do it.
The original telegram is now archived at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta, Ga. The Nestor family returned the original telegram to National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior, for preservation following the original establishment of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Center, which Coretta King started from her home.
A plaque was made with a copy of the telegram to be donated to the museum to serve as a historical record in Washington Court House. The plaque “is a gift from the Nestor family to the MLK Museum and the Fayette County Historical Society,” stated Sarah Nestor Lane. Lane is the granddaughter of Edwin C. Nestor, and a consultant for the National Park Service’s Cultural Resources Office of Interpretation and Education.
Lane previously worked on preserving her grandmother’s history as a World War II cryptologist in Arlington, Virginia many years ago. Edwin C. Nestor was an aviation mechanic for the Navy and they moved to Washington Court House from West Virginia. When they got to Washington Court House, they rented an apartment at the Morris Sharp home from B. E. Kelley from 1955 to 1958 before it was converted to a museum. Therefore, there is history for the Nestor family with the museum building, Washington High School, and Washington Court House since the early 1950s.
A letter from the National Park Service, Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta, Ga., accompanied the plaque in the donation.
According to record from the National Park Service, “the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park averages about one million visitors a year. Donating an artifact to the National Park Service holds immense significance, particularly when considering its potential impact on preserving history and expanding public access to cultural heritage.”
