Awards
from page CI
Twenty-five years ago. she met
Ernie Pitt, publisher and founder
of The Chronicle. She was
preparing to take the helm of
WAAA. and Pitt was passing out
? his first copy of "The Winston
Salem Chronicle." She accepted
a copy, which she admitted with a
laugh that she still had.
"Little did either of us realize
the extent to' which our lives
would parallel," she said.
Evans thanked the Pitt family
for serving as a vehicle of honor
for the community, and she gave
honor to those who nominated
her for Woman of the Year. She
recognized her family, friends
and church family at Carver
Road Church of Christ for the
-role they played in shaping her
identity and spirituality. "She
named all of the Women who
have shared with her the mantle
of Woman of the Year, for the
last 16 years. In accepting her -
plaque, she dedicated it to her
parents Dallas and Mabel Evans.
"In honoring me. you honor
them," she said.
The Rev. Seth O. Lartey. who
was named Man of the Year in
1998, presented Bass. "The
moon of last year has vanished -
now receive the bright sun, Mr.
Marshal! Bass." he said.
bass rose to a standing ova
tion that lingered after his arrival
to the podium.
"It is with a great sense of
humility and a feeling of humble
ness that 1 accept this award,"
. Bass said. "In accepting the high
est honor that can come from an
organization. I want that organi
zation to keep in mind its humble
beginnings and the path it has
taken thus far."
Bass recalled meeting Pitt
when he first came to Winston
' Salem. Pitt came to his office
early in the planning stages of the
newspaper. <
"The fruits have grown might
ily since that day ... I have always
been taught that to whom much is '
given, much is required, much
more, and this is spiritual in
nature and comes from my 1
upbringing," he said.
After losing his father at age
five, Bass found role models in
'.chool principals and the parish
priest, men wbo offered assis
tance to others and were well
respected in the community.
These exemplary standards pro
pelled Bass as an Army officer,
and as senior vice president at
RJR Nabisco, from which he
retired in 1991. Since his retire
ment, Bass has provided moral
and financial1support to such
worthy causes as the NAACP and
North Carolina Baptist Hospi
" tals. Last year, he endowed a
$100,000 fjnited Way Fund to
help youth service agencies such
as the YMCA of Winston-Salem
and The Best Choice Center.
Through his volunteerism and
philanthropy, Bass responds to
the call to prepare youth for the
future.
The presentation featured a
video focus on each honoree,
highlighting their contributions.
Each honoree was awarded by a
representative from the corporate
sponsors of the banquet. Jeri
Young, The Chronicle's manag
ing editor, presented* Vernon
Robinson as the Newsmaker of
the Year, marking the first time
this award was given. Mary
Williams of Novant Health
assisted with the presentation,
i honoring a man who grabbed
headlines as vice chaifmah of
Winston-Salem's Public Safety .,
and Public Works Committees. In
addition to his duties as alder
man, "he heads the North Caroli
na Education Reform Founda
tion which he founded in 1993 to
aid charter schools. These schools
will receive S61 million in funding
this fall. > ?
The Volunteer of the Year
Award went to Floy Howie who
remains an energetic volunteer
despite a disability that forced her
ii)to retirement almost ten years
ago. She is chair of the Black
Leadership Roundtable Educa
tion Committee and a block cap
tain for the Happy Hill Neighbor
hood Association and Sims Cen
ters precinct chairperson. Janet
Frazier of Integon Corporation
assisted with this award.
The Human Relations Award
went to Crossing 52, a local orga
nization that hopes to bridge the
gap between blacks and whites.
Six members of this organization
designed a ten-week training pro
gram based on "An American
Dilemma," a 1944 book by psy
chologist Gunnar Myrdal. Fund
ed by the Winston-Salem Foun
dation, the pilot program will
involve 24 people in discussions
ot race, racism and the plight of
African Americans.
The Community Service
Award went to DeValdean Penn
who has committed his efforts to
keeping at-risk students from
falling through the cracks. For 14
years, he has been the in-school
suspension director at Cook Mid
dle School. Vickie McMoore of
Food Lion gave this honor.
Special recognition awards
went to Daniel Piggott and Keith
Wilkes of Carver High School.
Student test scores at Carver have
improved substantially and the
Yellowjackets clinched the state
3-A football championship with a
perfect record of 16-0. Piggott
Forsyth County Principal of the
Year and Wilkes, Piedmont Triad
Coach of the Year represent a
banner year for Carver High
School. Fannie Henderson
advertising director, "The Chrpn
an^ Canty Alexander,
BB&T offered this tribute. ?
Also honored with a special
recognition was Benjamin RufTin.
In 1998, Ruffin was elected the
first African American chairman
3f the University of North Car
olina Board of Governors. D. K.
McLaughlin of Time Warner
Cable did this honor.
Other special tribute awards
went to Maybelle Hedgley, wife
of the late Dr. David Rice Hedg
ley and Mary Chavis, the wife of
the late Vance H. Chavis. Rev
Hedgley joined the Rev. W. K
McGee in founding Forsyth Jail
and Prison Ministries and served
as the seventh pastor of First
Baptist Church. Chavis was one
of Greensboro's best-known and
best-loved educators and civil
rights advocates. The Southeast
Branch Library is named'for him
as a fitting tribute for one who
believed in education as libera
tion.
. Public Safety Officer of the
Year John Gist became Winston
Salem's third African American
fire chief in July. He climbed the
career ladder, rising from fire
fighter to chief of the 266-person
department. He received a com
mendation for rescuing a citizen
from a burning building and
became the youngest chief officer
m the local department and one
of the youngest in the state
Michael Suggs of RJ Reynolds
presented off this special tribute
'The Carl H. Russell Lifetime
Achievement Awards were pre
sented by Cedric L Russell of
Russell s Funeral Home and
Helen Watkms of Wake Forest
University Baptist Medical Cen
ter. These awards went to Alder
man Vivian Burke, the first
female and first African Ameri
can to chair the Public Safety
?
Committee and current Mayor
Pro Tempore; Richard Davis of
Davis Management Services and
Specialized Marketing, winner of
the Triad Black Business Expo's
Pioneer Award and the Greater
Winston-Salem Chamber of
Commerce's Small Business
Advocate Award of the Year, Joe
and Eunice Dudley, the builders
of the largest black-owned manu
facturing facility between Wash
ington and Atlanta, launchers of
Dudley Cosmetology University,
Dudley Cafeteria and DCU Inn,
a full-service hotel; Palmer
Friende. the first African Ameri
can assistant superintendent in
WS/FC Schools; Maxwell Banks
Grier, retired educator of 100
years; Atty. Annie Brown
Kennedy, legal and legislative
pioneer; and Felcia Mack a
mother of six who continues to
sacrifice time to the community
through White Rock Baptist
Church.
Ernie Pitt came forward to
offer closing remarks. Humbled
by the spirit of the evening, he
offered many thanks to the com
munity for their support of the
newspaper over its 25-year tenure.
"Twenty-five years ago, I
began a journey way beyond any
dream I could ever have," he said.
"I see people in the audience that
I talked to the first time I drove to
Winston-Salem. I am deeply
proud of what you have made
The Chronicle, because you are1
the ones who have helped to make
it what it is, the community."
Pitt recalled the first paying
subscriber to the newspaper was
Dr. Raymond Oliver who paid
S20 for his subscription.
"All of you out there have
helped in many ways, and we will
never forget from whence we
came. That is why we honor you
tonight."
Pitt noted that there will be
differences in the paper through
out the year.
"You will see changes and
improvements in the way we
deliver our services to you," he
said.
According to Pitt, the staff of
"The Chronicle" will continue to
"inform, enlighten, encourage,
and challenge the status quo." He
described the black press as thun.
der, a talking drum, a harvest rit
ual, a grapevine, bearing the
fruits of history. "Capturing the
rhythm of the street, the pulse of
the people, helping to shape a
better world for future genera
tions," is what The Chronicle is
about. "Twenty-five years ago,
my wife and I ventured into
unchartered waters ... as you can
see the Chronicle is still afloat i .
Together \ye will turn the tide," he
sajd. ;
Publither trnie Pitt greet* honor? Benjamin Puffin.
Tho Woodwind Ouintot, mombort of tho Winston-Salom Symphony, uthorod in tho protottion of hon
oroot.
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