Local Musician
Says He is Musically
Inspired by "Ghetto" Life
A. He says personal conflict
helps him compose music
By KAREN M. HANNON
Chronicle Staff Writer
Russell Thomas, a local musi
cian, says he gets his musical inspi
ration from growing up in the Kim
berly Park public housing
development. Thomas said it is his
roots to that neighborhood that have
helped him through the tougher
times in life.
7m thankful I'm a ghetto boy
by nature," he said, "because I have
a strong will to survive. When tribu
lations come my way it's nothing
new, because I know the same pain
that everybody else knows."
Thomas said he uses that inner
pain as inspiration in composing
music on the acoustic guitar.
Although his songs are being
played during the jazz hour on
WSNC-FM, Thomas calls his
music "New Jerusalem."
"I call it that because I believe
that Jesus' second coming will have
a music for all people," he said. "I
believe for Jesus to say that he has a
city called New Jerusalem, he has
done away with people judging
without mercy and without faith. In
New Jerusalem,, Jesus will judge
with mercy and faith. And I think
my music is a part of that."
Thomas said that as a teen
ager, he grew up listening to gui
tarists Jimmy Hendricks and Earl
Klugh. He then switched from play
ing electric guitar to classical guitar
after hearing the musical techniques
of Jesus Silva and Andre Segovia.
Thomas graduated from WSSU
in 1989 with a bachelor of science
degree in music, but most of his tal
ent and creativity developed in later
years.
"When I first started writing
when I was about 19, my songs
were not in focus," said Thomas,
34. "It couldn't be classified as any
certain type of music, and my music
that people heard did not seem to
move them."
He said his more recent works
reveal more of his inner-self.
Most of it came through per
sonal grieving," Thomas said "God
smiled on me and increased the tal
ent. When people hear it today, they
call it jazz. I feel as if the guitar and
me hooked up together; When I
play the guitar, it's my own life
going out in sound."
In his song, "So Strong to be
Weak," Thomas accompanies his
guitar with percussions and whistles
and combines R&B with the
melodic solos of classical music.
Joe Watson, station manager of
WSNC, said he was impressed with
Thomas' style when he listened to a
demo tape.
"The first time I heard his
music, 1 knew it was unique,'^ Wat
son said. "One of our DJ's, in partic
ular, likes his music and plays his
songs regularly during our jazz seg
ment.'"
Thomas said he hopes to
acquire a recording contract in the
future. , ?
Meanwhile. he's not writing
new music. Instead, he spends his
days improving his existing works
in hopes of producing a cleaner
sound for professional recording.
BGSM Will Increase Cancer Screening
The Reynolds Health Center
and the Bowman Gray School of
Medicine will try to increase use of
cervical and breast cancer screening
among low-income, minority
women in Forsyth County.
The Forsyth County Cancer
Screening Project, called FoCaS,
will concentrate on women over the
the age of 40 who live in housing
communities in Winston-Salem.
The key strategies include
community outreach through mass
publicity and educational classes.
clinic training and patient informa
tion, said Cathy Tatum, project
manager..
FoCaS is being paid for by a
four-year, $2,105,707 gTant from
istitute. The
the prot
'JUlAjMPVMNItt^ltofn 10
ajB& to 4 pjn. with a Women's Fest
at Corpening Plaza, in front of the
One Triad Park.
' In addition to providing infor
mation about screening programs
for breast and cervical cancer.
Women's Fest will include-free
"screening for diabetes, blood-pres
sure checks and measurements of
cholesterol levels.
It also will feature prizes, pho
tographs, make-overs of partici
pants, food, entertainment, a craft
show and demonstrations, a fashion
show, raffles and gift certificates.
Tatum said the educational pro
gram is the second phase of FoCaS,
which began with a ..survey of
women in Forsyth and Guilford
counties to assess their knowledge
and use of breast and cervical can
' cer screening programs.
The survey involved face-to
face contact with women in housing
communities in both Winston
Salem and Greensboro.
"Breast and cervical cancer
affect minority women to a greater
degree than non-minority women,"
said Paskett, who also is acting
associate dirfctor for cawpr cgjttro}4
of the Comprehensive CancertiJen
ter of Wake Forest University.
Tatum said one major goal of
the study is to improve knowledge
and attitudes about cancer screening
among low-income minority
women, and increase their use of
Varly Hafgrtirm pArfrapc
leading to lower death rates from
cancer.
A second major goal is to iden
tify the barriers that prevent these
women from seeking early cancer
detection. A third goal is to assess
whether these women follow
through with treatment or advanced
diagnostic recommendations if the
findings of the screening are abnor- '
mal.
"Our hopes are that this study
will alleviate the tftirden of breast
and cervical cancer detected in later
stages by encouraging women to
get screening examinations regu- ;
larlv and to follow through with the
recommended detection and treat- *
ment procedures," said Dr. Electra s
Paskett, assistant professor of Pub
lic Health Sciences.
"We want to work within the
system so that barriers that stop
mfngM I frortvobtainjgg eigqpiina^
treatment properly are eliminated." ?>
t- ' % ' A
; ,;i V,
The third phase of FoCaS will
compare results in women in
Forsyth County with women in
Guilford County who were not the
focus of the intensive educational
campaign7~Ttren an educational
campaign will be launched in
Greensboro housing communities.
Helen Martin, chats with student actors at North Carolina A & T State University in Greensboro. From left to
right are Paul Von- Dale Bigby, Theron McConneyhead , and Lei Ferguson.
Duke Names New Campus Minister
r Brenda Kirton, a chaplain
? intern with the pastoral care pro
gram at Duke University Medical
Center, has been named campus
minister for black campus min
istries at Duke University.
Kirton, a 33-year-old native of
the South American country of
Guyana and a graduate of Duke
Divinity School, was selected by a
committee of students, administra
tors and faculty. She will work
with black students of all origins
< and religions and will not represent
any one denomination, she said.
Her permanent, part-time posi
v:; tkxi will be paid by the university.
f-In the past, the ministry slot has
-7been filled with a divinity school
student intern, whose salary is paid
by the divinity school. That intern
ship still exists, and the student
intern will work closely with Kir
ton, according to the Rev. Debra
Brazzel, assistant dean of Duke
Chapel and a member of the search
committee. "This position is impor
tant for several reasons. It will
bring continuity to a program
which, because it's been filled by
student interns for seven months out
of the year, hasn't been able to
develop and support close relation
ships with students" Brazzel said.
Kirton, who came to the
Raleigh-Durham area from Guyana
(formerly British Guiana) in 1985,
graduated from Shaw University
with a double major in public
administration and religion/philoso
phy before attending Duke Divinity
School on a dean's scholarship.
PHILLIP S. BANKS III
PERSONAL INJURY
Personalized Service
? ALL COURTS -
FREE INITIAL
CONSULTATION
Office Hours By Appointment
3000 Bethesda Place
659-091 1
Russell Thomas , inspired by faith, strums a tune.
" o
My husband's physical the kids'
check-ups, even the dog's visits to the vet'
I just didn't have time to get a mammogram
Then I read how 4 out of 5 women who
develop breast cancer don't have a history
of it in their families
And that once you turn
40, your risk of hi cast
cancer increases.
T, C-LJJp
i u JLi'LliIIIC
For Enayoiic
But Me.
stopped putting it olf I
called The Women s
Center for Breast
Care My screening
mammogram took uist
a few minutes It was
only $45* and they tiled
my insurance
So don't put it ofl an\
longer Call 765-5
and schedule your screening mammogram
today. After all it you don't take care nt
yourself, who will?
* If you have breast imf>Lwts, pltihc i ,i(l lot men
information about tht screciiitnj procedure ,wJ
cTV/f
VI 6mens Center
for Breiist (auc
S55 -A HrtJvsJi! R,1 Wiwlw-Siilfln .vim ?
/V '? AQiluif < 'I ' \ li.li. ''u
We think allowing you to return to
your normal activities j ust hours
after "No-Stitch" cataract surgery
is a great idea. That's why we started
doing it 2-1/2 years ago
Dr. Richard Epes has performed
over 45,000 cataract with lens
implant surgeries, including over
1 0,000 of the revolutionary
"No-Stitch" procedures in the past
2- 1/2 years.
"No-Stitch" cataract with lens
implant surgery usually takes less
thgn seven minutes to perform and
alfows you to return to your normal
activities, without a patch, just hours
after surgery.
Remember: If you're not sure who
to trust, always trust your eyes to
experience. Call Southeastern Rye
Center today.
TVusI Your Eyes To Experience.
o Southeastern Eye Center.
Central Carolina Surgical Kyc Nssoclales. f\ V /3312 Battleground \vc . Greensboro. \C. 274 10/91
Medicare \snlanment Accepted / 40 Regional Offices / For Ihe office nearest >ou call 1 800-W32-042N
C. Richard Kpes. Ml) John I). Matthews. Ml) Donald J Bergln. MD Marc \ Ralston. Ml)
Karl (I. Stoneclphcr. MD Christopher C. Wa\. MO John V McCrarv. III MO
For your convenience you may be seen by the doctor* from Southeastern Eye Center at
our office on Healy Dr. or Dr. Barry Ramsey in the Old Town Shopping Center in
Winston-Salem. Dr. Steve Laymon in the Bermuda Quay Shopping Center. Dr. Jeff
Garber in KernersvUle or at our Lexington or Yadkin ville offices.
" The day after my cataract
surgery by Dr. Stonecipher I was
so happy cause 1 could see. He
did a greai job and they were so
nice to me. Don't wait - go
ahead and have it done. 1 could
n't wait to have my second eye
done. "
Connie Simmons
Forest City, NC