Mourners Honor Clara Luper At Oklahoma State Capitol

News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A steady stream of people have walked through the Oklahoma State Capitol to pay their last respects to civil rights pioneer Clara Luper.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers escorted Luper's casket into the first-floor rotunda just before noon, then stood at attention on either side. A military honor guard is also nearby.

Luper will lie in state until 4 p.m.  Governor Mary Fallin and former Oklahoma Governor George Nigh have already paid their respects to Luper's family.

Luper helped end segregation in Oklahoma when she staged a sit-in at KATZ Drugstore in August 1958.  Friends and family described her as a great educator, a great friend and a great mother.  Governor Fallin called her an Oklahoma hero.

Luper died June 9 at the age of 88.  Funeral services will be held Friday at the Cox Convention Center.  

Related Story: 6/9/11 Clara Luper's Children Remember The Civil Rights Icon

Related Story: 6/9/11 Governor, Lawmakers Honor Oklahoma Civil Rights Icon Clara Luper