bluMF XIX
29 FebRUARy 2004
NUMbER 6l
inside
ti~iis
issue
Page 2
Dear Reader, liroiherlv Love
Page 3
Whats up with the Greeks
Page 4
February SGA Minutes i
Pages
The Poetry of Billy Robertson
Page 6
OB Mnies
Page 7
zoou a€T om ^oacp pam
Page 9
Hiking Linville Gorge
Page 11
Sports
Page 12
Leftovers
‘My friends of Rocky Mount, I have a dream
tonight... ”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
A Statue Of Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. is the center piece of the new
park which bears his name
By: Matthew Esterline
In November of 1962, well before
the March on Washington, Martin
Luther King, Jr. gave his “I Have
a Dream” speech at Booker T.
Washington High School in Rocky
Mount.
At the time, the high school was
segregated and stood as a symbol
of a city that was still very much
divided by race. When integration
finally became a fact, Booker T.
Washington High School was
phased out and would eventually
become the Booker T. Washington
Community Center.
Today, the center stands as a
beacon in our community.
I visited the Booker T. Washington
Community Center located at 727
Pennsylvania Avenue, less than
ten minutes from this campus.
While there, I met John Battle,
the Coordinator of Recreation
Programs for the Rocky Mount
Parks and Recreation Department.
He was kind enough to give me a
brief overview of what the center
provides for the community.
The community center offers a
number of services. There is a
weight room and an activity center
where people can read, play pool,
and relax. The center also provides
activities for children. For instance,
there is an after school program, as
well as a summer camp, for local
children. In addition, the community
center has a computer lab to provide
access to the internet and learning
programs.
Today, the Booker T. Washington
Community Center offers a variety
of recreational services. A number
of classes for children, adults and
seniors are provided by the center.
These include sewing classes,
guitar lessons, and babysitting
certification courses, to name a few.
The center, also, provides many
sports related programs, such as
basketball, volleyball, tennis, and
pool tournaments.
In addition, the center sponsors
“Friday Night Live”, which offers
recreational and social activities
to people with disabilities, and the
exceptional art program which
teaches art and craft skills to children
with moderate to mild disabilities.
After leaving the community center,
John Battle took me to meet
Dorothy Hunter, a graduate of
Booker T. Washington High School
who lives across the street from the
community center. Mrs. Hunter was
kind enough to let me in to ask her a
few questions about the center and
its history.
“It’s [Booker T. Washington High
School] still very dear to us; to the
people who used to go there.”
I asked Mrs. Hunter about the
phasing out of the school when
integration occurred. “...they
started pulling teachers out and
sending them to the Senior High...
See BTW page 8
The Booker T. Washington Community Center In Rocky Mount NO
NCWC Football, A Triangire of Life
By: Ron Fitzwater
In what will be the final installment
of my in-depth look at football at
North Carolina Wesleyan, I sat
down with Head football coach
Jack Ginn in his office to speak
on all things that are, and will be.
Division III football.
RF- Well, I guess the question I
must start off with, and the one
you have, no doubt, been asked a
hundred times, is how are things
going?
JG- Things are going well, recruiting
is going extremely well. We’re not
where we need to be with other
things, like equipment, facilities
and such, but we are moving in the
right direction. My staff has worked
extremely hard and we’re ahead of
pace to be honest with you.
RF- OK, lets talk about your staff
a little bit, if you would. We all see
vJoRih CARoliNA WesLevan CollEqE Rocky Mount, NortIh CaroUna 27804
See Ginn page11