Former President Jimmy Carter is to be in Lexington on Thursday to accept a humanitarian award from Virginia Military Institute.

VMI created the Jonathan Myrick Daniels Humanitarian Award to recognize those who have made significant personal sacrifices to protect or improve the lives of others.

Daniels, a 1961 VMI graduate, was killed when he stepped in front of a shotgun blast intended for a young black girl, Riby Sales, during the civil rights movement in 1965. Daniels was in Haynesville, Ala., helping with voter registration when a sheriff's deputy shot at Sales. She survived when Daniels absorbed the brunt of the blast.

View Comments

Carter will be the first recipient of the award, established in 1998. Sales and Richard Morrissow, a Catholic priest wounded in the attack, will attend the ceremony.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.