John Cross Jr., Pastor at Bombed Church, Dies at 82
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
The Reverend John Cross Jr., who was pastor of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., in 1963, when four girls at his church were killed in a bombing that became a turning point in the civil rights movement, died November 15 at DeKalb Medical at Hillandale, in Lithonia, Ga. He was 82 and had had a series of strokes in recent years.
Cross was named pastor of the venerable Birmingham church in 1962 after serving at a Baptist church in Richmond, Va. Not previously identified as a civil-rights activist, he appeared to be a good match for the conservative black church, which was known for its educated congregation.
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