TEMPLE, Texas — Saturday morning was full of laughs, tears and prayers in front of 8th Street Baptist Church. Community members gathered to honor Roscoe Harrison Jr. at the East Avenue C renaming ceremony.
Roscoe Harrison Jr. was a man who touched hearts in every room he walked in.
"We will always remember him," 8th Street Baptist Church Financial Secretary and Co-Chair of the Historical Committee, Willie Phillips, said. "I know I will."
He was the first African American reporter for the Temple Daily Telegram and television news anchor for KCEN-TV in 1970. Family and friends describe him as a man who was full of courage.
"You can count your friends on one hand," Mayor Pro Tem for the City of Temple, Judy Morales said. "He was one, and I think he was a friend who made everybody feel the same way."
Now his legacy will touch anyone who walks or drives by the corner of East Avenue C, which is right on the border of 8th Street Baptist Church. Harrison served as the pastor there for almost 20 years.
"As we come on the street, you know, his legacy is gonna live on because he is just that kind of person that stays with you in spirit," Morales said. "He stays with you."
Dozens of Central Texans came out to the street naming ceremony Saturday morning, which shows the mark he is leaving on the city and people.
"I think it it shows all of us black or white, you know, young or old, it shows all of us that we can make a difference in our community," City of Temple Mayor, Tim Davis, said. "It's not always about you know who who runs a big business or you know, who's the president of something. It's about every day getting up and working within your community to make people's lives better, and that's what Roscoe Harrison did for many, many decades."