ROCK HILL, SC -- Sitting at the same lunch counter where they were denied service 55 years ago, members of the “Friendship Nine” remembered one of their own.
"To remember Clarence is to remember him as a person that wanted more for the other people than he wanted for himself,” said David Williamson Jr., member of the “Friendship Nine.”
That's how friends say they'll remember Clarence Graham, 73, who died on Friday afternoon.
Graham was a member of the “Friendship Nine,” a group of young men who spent a month in jail after being convicted of trespassing for sitting down at an all-white McCrory's lunch counter in 1961.
"He constantly like we stayed on guard, we stayed together and we made sure we was a team and that we took care of each other."
Their arrests sparked the "Jail, no Bail" movement where civil rights activists chose jail time over paying a fine.
Decades later, their story of courage was published in a book called “No Fear For Freedom: The Story Of The Friendship 9.” Williamson said that was a proud moment for Graham.
"He had been passionate about it, hoping it would get done. I think he's at peace with himself because it was done before he passed,” said Williamson.
Friends say Graham's passing was unexpected but to keep his legacy going, members of the “Friendship Nine” say they'll keep sharing their story.
"In order to keep Clarence's name and what he did alive, and what he did at the forefront, we're going to keep doing what we doing,” said Willie McCleod, member of the “Friendship Nine.”
And the same restaurant where the “Friendship Nine” arrested in 1961 is also honoring Graham's memory.
His favorite drink was pink lemonade and now a glass sits at the lunch counter with flowers.
The Graham family has not yet announced funeral arrangements