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Montgomery attorney Wilson Blount would like to put together a memorial for the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis in the city of Brundidge where Lewis graduated from Pike County Training School.

Blount contacted Brundidge City Manager Willie Wright with the idea for the memorial. Wright relayed the plan to the mayor and city council at its Tuesday meeting.

Blount’s father William Blount is from Troy and his grandmother, the late Martha Blount, served as chairman of the Board of Registrars in Pike County for several years.

Prior to practicing law, Blount worked on numerous campaigns in Alabama and around the nation.

Blount laughed at the memory of being at a fundraiser for former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia at which Congressman Lewis spoke.

“Congressman Lewis said he was born in Alabama but Georgia was his home,” Blount said. “When I spoke to him afterwards, he just lit up when I mentioned Pike County. He said, ‘Son, don’t believe a word I just said. Alabama is my home.’”

Blount said any time he and Lewis met, they talked about their Alabama and Pike County roots.

“Congressman Lewis was extremely proud of his roots and we bonded through our roots.,” he said.

In addition to the street named in honor of Lewis, Blount said he  would like to do something to honor Lewis in Brundidge.

“With the unfortunate news of Congressman’s passing, I spoke with other young people who knew the congressman on both a personal and professional level,” Blount said. “I pitched the idea of putting together a memorial in Brundidge. The consensus being that, during a time of cultural strife and statues coming down, it would be a worthwhile endeavor to honor one of Pike County’s and Alabama’s finest sons with a memorial.”

Blount is applying for 501c3 tax-exempt recognition by the Internal Revenue Service for the project. The City of Brundidge will not incur any expenses for the memorial project, he said.