Saint Paul (Minn.).

The Roy Wilkins Memorial Task Force was appointed by Mayor George Latimer in December 1982, in response to a request for a memorial to Wilkins made by the St. Paul Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Wilkins, who grew up in St. Paul and graduated from the University of Minnesota, was the Executive Secretary of the NAACP from 1955 through 1977 and was instrumental in the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, 1965 Voting Rights Act, and 1968 Fair Housing Act. He had died in 1981. The task force submitted a final report to the mayor on April 14, 1983, suggesting the auditorium of the St. Paul Civic Center, then under reconstruction, be renamed the Roy Wilkins Auditorium. A City Council resolution to that effect was passed on December 1, 1983. The task force was continued and oversaw both the creation of a bronze bust by J. Paul Nesse, oil painting by Donald Walker, and plaques by James West for placement in the auditorium, and the December 6, 1984 dedication ceremony.