Savannah, Georgia 1966
In 1966, Jerry joined the U.S. Public Health Service and he was assigned to Savannah, Georgia to work in the county health department. While there, Jerry encountered the civil rights movement and his first experience with segregation. He noted that segregation even existed in the church. This was a defining moment, as Jerry had never known of these things growing up in Mendota, Illinois. During his time attending Marquette University, Jerry was too busy studying to get involved with this movement.
Three of Jerry’s best friends in Savannah were priests who belonged to the Society of African Missions. The priests worked in two African-American parishes and a Catholic high school. The three priests were also very active in civil rights. It was through these priests, that Jerry had an encounter with a ten-year old boy, Ronald Fennel, and his next defining moment.
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