ON THE
AVANT GARDE
BY TANG NIVRI
You'd Never Guess Who
If you saw him walking down. Cherry Street with his grandson
Alex and his wife Barbara, you'd never , guess who Judd Ferguson
was. Not unless he was decked out in his dress blues, shiny black
walking shoes, gold badge and his tiny walkie-talkie. No, you would
n't have a clue.
If you saw him in the grocery store or standing in line at the
bank holding the hands of. his two granddaughters, Laura and Jen
nifer, you would think that he was just like anybody else spending
time with those he loves most. Without that blue uniform, you'd
never know what Judd Ferguson did for a living.
*
You'd think that he was likely a social worker, someone who
worked with troubled teen-agers; that he was somehow involved in
the fight against domestic violence and child abuse or other societal
ills plagueing our community. (You'd be right, of course.)
Some would argue that he looks like the proverbial, avuncular
middle-aged priest who delights in being counselor and spiritual
leader to the flock. A few would guess that Judd was a Southern
Baptist preacher ? until they heard him sing the first verse of Amaz
ing Grace. Barbara, his best buddy of 34 years, thinks of him as the
"Commish," of ABC's top cop show.
But a cop, no way! He just doesn't have the cop look, cop swag
ger, cop talk or any of the other exaggerated traits that Hollywood
has tattooed in our minds about those who choose law enforcement
as a career. *
The truth is. Judd Ferguson looks and .acts like a "Slim Fast"
Santa Claus with the world's biggest smile resonating from some
where way down deep in the world's biggest heart.
Yes. don't look for Judd Ferguson to star as the Winston-Salem
version of the "Kindergarten Cop" because this cop is known to shed
a tear while watching a commercial of a child scraping his finger and
then running to ask his mother to kiss it! If only the bad guys had
know this!
Dreaming of Being a Policemen
Judd's family moved to Winston-Salem from Washington. D.C.,
when he was just 7 years old. His father worked at the old Western
Electric plant and his mother served as a nurse in a mental hospital.
But like other 7-year-old boys, Judd only wanted to be policeman.
Indeed, most of us wanted to be the police. Perhaps it was the
idea of carrying the gun and putting the bad guys in jail and then get
ting to kiss the girl.
It all used to look so simple on our black and white T.V. sets.
Back then it was easy to figure out who was the good guy and who
was the bad guy. Then things in society just got messy, wkh drugs
and white collar crime and murders and child molestation and people
jus| acting like WtptaJiibufapl.. doing any and everything to one
another ... and gradually some of us little boys stopped wanting to be
the police. Instead, we wanted to be the fireman who climbed the tall
ladder and entered the burning house saving the little children from a
fiery death.
Eventually most of us stopped wanting to be a fireman and
instead aspired to be lawyers, doctors, dentists, automobile mechan
- ics, baseball players, and football players and do things where people
got paid much more. And once we got a family, we knew that law
enforcement was far too dangerous and far to complicated, and that
people actually got killed sometimes. And besides, we found out that
nobody really likes you when you're a policeman Itke we did when
we were little ? not until they are in trouble and then want you to
come get them out.
But for Judd Ferguson, things were different. He did keep his
dream and his promise alive. He became both a fireman and a police
man. Now after 30 years, Judd and his wife, Barbara, are ready to
say goodbye. For Barbara, the sqmetii*s lonely nights of worrying
if he would come home alive are finally coming to a blessed end.
We Worried Less!
I didn't know Judd Ferguson when I was a boy dreaming to be
policeman, but I believe that we would have been great friends. We
would have been boys who played cowboys and Indians, cops and
robbers. As we grew older, he would have been the kind of guy my
mom and dad would have said was okay for me to go nding with -at -
night. He was the kind of guy whom my grandmother would have
said. "Grandson, you hang around boys like Judd and you will be all
right." She would have never worried about me.
And in much the same way. this community for the past 30
years has had just a little bit less to worry about all because of men
such as Judd Ferguson ? men who kept their boyhood dreams of
being a policeman alive.'
We will all miss having a man whose character, whose genuine
love for people extended far beyond his patrol car, his officers, his
family, far beyond his desk into the hearts and minds of everybody's
life he touched. Thanks Judd. You done good.
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Community
Gold Medalist Shares Values During Piedmont Visit
By KAREN M. HANNON
Staff Writer
In 1960 a young, African
American woman raced her way to
fame at the Rome Olympic games.
In doing so, Wilma Rudoph
overcame a series of childhood ill
nesses ? including scarlet fever,
double pneumonia and polio ? to
become the first American to win
three gold medals in track and field
in a single Olympiad.
Decades later, she's still racing
around the world speaking to chil
dren and adults about her climb
from obscurity as the daughter of a
poor but proud handyman, the
twentieth of 22 children, and she
hasn't slowed down yet.
But in between jetting to
Europe to help Berlin prepare for
the bid process for the year 2000
Olympics, to Detroit to speak at a
luncheon for a drug program, and to
Winston-Salem to speak to children
at SciWorks last weekend, the
Clarksville, Tehn., native manages
to escape from the hubbub momen
tarily to spend quality time with her
family at her home in Nashville.
"People probably think my life
is glamorous because I get to travel
so much," Rudolph said, "but at my
age. I really don't care to. 1 prefer
being surrounded by my family. "
Rudolph. 52. said her family ?
not the three gold medals she
proudly displays in her home ? is
her most prized possession.
"Over the years I've worked
hard to build a solid foundation for
my family," she said. "I think every
one must make sure that their fam
ily structure is sound and solid. I'm
p single parent, so I want to make
sure my family has that."
Since her victory in 1960,
Rudolph has stayed busy.
She has been a popular lecturer
on college campuses and published
her autobiography, Wilma , in 1977.
which made best seller lists. She is
currently working on her second
book. Track and Field: The Com
plete Guide . which is a training
manual for youth in athletics.
She said she hopes to offer
children information in the book
that they can relate to.
"1 want to touch on a few of my
experiences over the years that will
give kids a hands-on feeling,"
Rudolph said. "I want to give them
something to pick up and read and
smile about and make them say.
'Hey, 1 didn't know that happened to
her. That happened to me too.'"
Rudolph was also an adminis
trative analyst at UCLA, an athletic
coach and consultant on education,
sports and youth programs, and was
a Goodwill Ambassador for the
United States in West Africa, where
she introduced children to the world
of sports. And she recently resigned
as a vice president of a hospital in
Nashville.
Through it all, Rudolph said
she when she looks back on her life,
she is still surprised about the
opportunities that have opened up to
her since winning the medals.
"I'm still awed by things that
are continuing to happen to me,"
Rudolph said. It's been over 30
years since I first became world
famous and kids are still reading
about me."
But even after all the attention,
Rudolph remains a humble, shy per
son.
"I've sat with kings and queens
but 1 still don't like being around a
lot of people." she said. "The only
time I'm in a crowd is when I go to
the Olympics. Sometimes 1 ask
myself, why I shy away from
crowds, but no one wants to be in
the limelight all the time."
When she's not in the limelight,
Rudolph said she goes about her
days as the average person does.
"I cherish doing things with my
family like going to school with my
granddaughter and going to P.T.A.
meetings," Rudolph said "AH peo
ple that may be worthy of certain
WUma Rudolph
things don't stand on a pedestal.
When people see me, they see they
can reach out and touch me and see
that I'm a real person."
Family of Alleged Cop Killer: Shooting was Accidental
A Undercover cops bought
drugs same day of shooting
By MARK R MOSS
Chronicle Staff Writer
Friends and family members of
Paul Eugene Lyons, who allegedly
killed a Winston -Sal em police offi
cer last Friday, said Lyons thought
he was ihootipg^ai a burgla^ {
"He never would have shot a
cop," said Sheila Lyons, his sister."
"He would have gladly let him in."
Lyons. 36, of 540-C Kennerly
St., was charged with first-degree
murder in the death of 40-year-old
Police Officer Bobby F. Beane.
Beane was a member of the
unit that attempted to serve a search
warrant at Lyons' apartment in the
Kimberly Park neighborhood
around 10:30 p.m.(last Friday.
Lyons is hein^-held-at-the?
Forsyth County jail without bond.
Capt. Linda G. Petree said sev
eral officers from the foot patrol unit
went to the second-floor apartment
where they kicked open the door.
Reane, a 16-year veteran with the
department, was standing on the
landing when he was shot once in
the head. He later died at Baptist
Hospital.
A gun was recovered, but
Petree said because the weapon is
considered evidence, she could not
disclose its caliber.
Capt. Jerry Raker, who heads
the foot patrol division in the area,
said that an undercover officer had
bought marijuana from Lyons'
apartment earlier in the day.
Paul Lyons
"Paul was not selling drugs,"
Sheila Lyons said.
"If there was drugs in here,"
said Joy Shannon, "where they at
now,"
Shannon said she was a "close
friend" of Lyons.
"Paul wasn't a violent person,"
said Carolyn Stevenson, another sis
ter. "He was good people. When he
first got out of the Army, he stayed
with me and he gave me the utmost
respect. He didn't drink and he did
n't Use drugs ? not in my house."
Relatives said the alleged gun
? man? was? active in- the? Army ?
Reserves, but was otherwise unem
ployed. They said he had been
called up for duty during the Persian
Gulf War and had spent some time
in Saudi Arabia.
They said they hurt for the offi
cer and his family.
"We feel so sorry for that offi
cer," said Stevenson. "We offer our
prayers to him and his family. This
is such an awful mess. .
About 1,500 law enforcement
officers from across the state
attended Beane's funeral Monday
afternoon.
Picketing Alleged Crack House Nearly Backfires
By MARK R. MOSS
Chronicle Staff Writer
Members of the Community
Mosque of Winston-Salem picketed
an alleged crack house in East Win
ston last Friday, but the demonstra
tors came close to being the ones
who got arrested
"It was the first time, to my
knowledge," said Khalid Griggs, the
iman. or religious leader, of the
mosque, "that someone who is sell
ing drugs calls the police and the
police threaten to put us in jail."
The house the Muslims pick
eted. at 1322 E. Third St.,. is next
door to the mosque, which sits on
the corner of Third Street and Mar
. tin Luther King Boulevard. A man
answered the door at the house
Tuesday morning, but would only
say. "I'm letting that mess die out,"
i ?
before slamming the door in a
reporter's face.
, Winston-Salem police Capt.
Michael McKoy, commander of the
sector in which the house is located,
said that the only calls police have
received in that block for the last 30
days came on April 23, when the .
Muslims Were demonstrating.
"We were very satisfied with
our conclusion that crack was bejng
sold out of that house." Griggs said.
Mosque members started pick- ?
etinc the house after neighbors
called Griggs and told hTrii that
crack was being sold! to kids. Griggs
said the police questioned them as
. to how they knew drugs were being
sold inside the house.
McKoy said he would contact
Griggs soon to find out more about
the matter.
i ' ** : ^ .
Khalid Griggs, ( second from right) and other members of Community
Mosque of Winston-Salem, picketed an alleged crack house on Friday.
Media Appreciation Day
As part of Alpha Kappa Alpha's
Media Appreciation Day , Olivia
Morgan, president of Phi Omega
Chapter, presents a certificate
award to Michael Pitt , advertising
manager of the Winston-.salem
Chronicle. The national obser
vance was designed to recognize
the contributions of the black
media , whose coverage facilitates
community residents' participa
tion in AKA programs by keeping
them informed. Pictured (I. to r.)
are: Morgan; Pitt; Velma Fricnde ,
media corps correspondent; and
Dorothy W ynecoff, committee
member.