Haynes, son of Southern icon, dies

Funeral services for A. Maurice Haynes have been scheduled for 11 a.m. on Nov. 21 at Mt. Zion First Baptist Church on East Boulevard.
Haynes died Tuesday while speaking at a building naming ceremony at the Southern University School of Nursing.
The building was named after his late father, John Kermit Haynes Sr.
“It (his death) was one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen,” said SU Director of Career Services Al Barron, Ph.D. “It was truly something I will never forget.”
Eyewitness accounts state during the ceremony, Haynes was at the podium giving remarks on behalf of his family when he collapsed and fell backwards.
“He just fell straight back,” Barron said. “It was so strange. They (people in attendance) tried to revive him, but they couldn’t.”
SU System Board of Supervisors Chairman Johnny Anderson was present when Haynes collapsed.
Anderson said Haynes death was unfortunate, but he lived a prolific life.
“Southern University is deeply sadden at this tremendous lost,” Anderson said. “He was a Southern Lab quarterback who had risen as a premiere community and educational leader.”