Mel King, Founder and Director of the South End Technology Center. Mr. King was active across the landscape of neighborhoods and politics of Boston for over 55 years as an educator, youth worker, social activist, community organizer, elected official, and author. As an adjunct professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a pioneer of Boston’s community gardening effort, Mr. King was responsible for creating a number of community programs and institutions for low-income people in Boston. The Mel King Institute was recently founded in his name to bring community development professionals and volunteers the skills they need to be effective in their positions in the community.