By Associated Press
Anniston, AL – Hundreds of mourners crowded into Seventeenth Street Baptist Church to celebrate the life of the Reverend Dr. Alphonso Scales, the state president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He was 74.
The veteran civil rights leader died March 31st from injuries he sustained in a February car accident in Albertville that also injured his wife and two daughters. Scales died March 31 at UAB Hospital.
The Talladega native served at a variety of churches, including Friendship Baptist Church in Gadsden, where he served as pastor for 22 years.
Several SCLC officials attended Monday's funeral, including former Alabama state Senator Charles Steele, the current SCLC president.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)