Agency honors employee who died suddenly
BY COURTNEY GA1LLARD
THE CHRONICLE
Marsha Davenport had been a
substance abuse counselor at Step
One for only five months before she
died suddenly on Jan. 30 of this year.
But the impact she made on the staff
and the women she counseled in the
women's program was extraordinary.
Davenport died at the age of 50 of
' what doctors believe was heart fail
; ure - the result of a possible blood
; clot in her groin area. She experi
enced cold symptoms in the days
; leading up to her death and was
rushed to Forsyth Hospital by a
' coworker after she started having
trouble breathing on the morning she
planned to return to work. Two hours
later Davenport was pronounced
dead.
Bernice Davenport, Marsha Dav
enport's mother, is so grateful to the
Step One employees for the love and
' support they showed for her family
and for Marsha. Several of the
1 women, including one who graduat
' ed from the substance abuse program
? that morning, whom Marsha Daven
port counseled at Step One, shared a
few remarks at the service.
"I just couldn't imagine that
(coworkers) got so close to her in
such a short time." said Bernice Dav
enport about her daughter's work
with women battling substance abuse
at Step One. "It didn't seem like a
short time to them."
Marsha Davenport's work in sub
stance abuse counseling took her
O
C&round the country. A graduate of the
University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, she went on to receive
her master's degree from Georgia
State University.
Before coming to work at Step
One. she was a substance abuse
counselor in Atlanta. Ga.; Sylva.
N.C.; Lewisburg W.Va.; and Rosebud
Reservation in South Dakota. She
learned of a need for substance abuse
counselors in South Dakota through
a colleague. After vacationing three
summers in a row in South Dakota.
Davenport quickly made up her mind
that she would return to the reserva
tion to assist the Native Americans
for an extended period of time. And
she did just that.
"I know why she went now." Ber
nice Davenport said. "I didn't want
her to go then. I wanted her to do that
later. But it was the right time."
Bernice Davenport explained that
the high unemployment rate in that
area of the country is what led many
of the Native Americans to turn to
alcohol. Once Bernice Davenport
and her husband, James, visited Mar
sha Davenport while she was living
in South Dakota, Bernice Davenport
realized why her daughter was so
determined to help the people.
"I've never seen (living) condi
tions like that in my life. It's so
depressing," BernCpe Davenport said.
But the near-poverty living condi
tions did not seem to affect her
daughter or her work. Every picture
showed a woman with a content
smile and calmness about her. You
could tell she was happy and at ease
with where^he was at the time.
Linda Carter, director of youth
and family services at Step One, was
Marsha Davenport's supervisor and
she remembers Marsha as being an
extremely "dedicated and awesome
counselor." "
"The women loved her and she
loved them. Marsha was very dedi
cated to helping women clear their
addiction up and continue on with
their lives," said Garter, who also
explained that the experiences Dav
enport gained around the country
helping people from various cultures
cope with substance abuse were ben
eficial to Step One's program.
"The job is not worthwhile if you
are not helping somebody," said Ber
nice Davenport of her daughter's
?
philosophy on counseling drug
abusers. ,
Bernice Davenporl said she
makes a point to request donations to
her church when a family member
passes on. and $2,343 has been
raised for the Marsha J. Davenport
Memorial Fund at Goler Metropoli
tan AME Zion Church in Winston
Salem.
Marsha Davenport is survived by
her parents, who live in Winston
Salem. 0
?
Photo by Courtney Gaillartb
James and Bernice Davenport
Elections
from page AI
Association of Counties Environ
mental. Energy and Land Use
Steering Committee for two
terms.
Davenport does not have
experience as an elected official,
but he says his roles on several
non-elected committees have
given him the groundwork. He is
the chairman of the Emergency
Management Advisory Board and
has served on the Future Leaders
of Winston-Salem Committee.
Davenport, who worked in engi
neering for the state before start
ing his own business, also has
taught at N.C. A&T State Univer
sity.
Davenport ran unaffiliated in
his race against Burke. He said he
would have ran as a Republican
then but he had not been a mem
ber of the party long enough,
according to election rules. Dav
enport said he decided to enter the
race only after Parmon bowed
out.
"I was not going to run against
Earline," he said. "I have a lot of
respect for Earline Parmon."
Davenport added that he has
already gotten support and
encouragement from current
Republican commissioners,
although he would not name
them.
Bailey entered the race before
Parmon dropped out. He said her
departure helps him mainly
because he now does not have to
run in a primary. Bailey said he
will run a gentlemen's campaign.
"I don't feel that 1 have to
attack anyone to get elected," Bai
ley said.
But Marshall thinks those
who support Bailey are trying to
distort his record and the stance he
took two years ago when the
school system was contemplating
whether to convert Atkins Middle
School back into a high school.
"I don't think that (Atkins)
should be an issue in this cam
paign." Marshall said.
In the fall of 1999, several
prominent graduates of Atkins
High School, including Bailey
and current School Board mem
ber Victor Johnson, launched a
campaign to bring back the
school, which was closed in the
1970s when the school system
integrated. Marshall spoke out
against converting the school.
Millions had just been spent to
convert the building into an ideal
middle school. Marshall said at
the time. He also said a new high
school would hurt enrollment at
nearby Carver High School. At
one of the meetings held to debate
the issue, Marshall suggested that
Atkins offered an unequal educa
tion compared to a school such as
Reynolds High School. Atkins
High's all-white counterpart.
Marshall said racism prevented
Atkins from offering the same
types of courses and programs
that were available at Reynolds.
"I had nothing against
Atkins," he said.
Officials decided to leave
Atkins Middle as is, hut some
people have not forgotten Mar
shall's comments.
Although Bailey says some of
his supporters have brought the
issue up to him. he said was not
recruited by people Who are angry
at Marshall to run against him.
"There are some people out
there still very angry about some
of the things that he said." Bailey
said.
Marshall even claims that a
"doctored" tape of his appearance
at the school meeting where the
comments were made is being cir
culated in an attempt to hurt his
campaign.
Bailey said he has heard of the
tape's existence.
Despite the simmering sub
plot among the Democrats. Bailey
said he will not make Atkins an
issue unless Marshall makes it
one first.
"If both of us are elected, we
are going to have to work togeth
er....We (Marshall and Bailey)
have had disagreements but we
have never fallen out." Bailey
said.
Marshall said he wants a clean
campaign as well, and someone
on the board who will stand
behind him on issues as Parmon
has done so many times over the
years. Marshall said although he
is a die-hard Democrat, he is no(
really concerned about that per
son's party affiliation.
"Me and Earline never had
any discord, never any fighting,
among ourselves." Marshal said.!
"1 think we need two people w hcj
will fight for the same agenda." ;
If elected. Bailey would prob -
ably serve only one term, he said !
During that term, he said, he!
would try to encourage younger
people to get more interested in.
politics.
Davenport, however, is;
already encouraged and thinks the
second time may prove to be the!
charm.
"I think my chances are excel
lent." he said.
Graveyard
from page A3
Zion Baptist Church.
The restoration group has
been working to clear away
the shrubs and establish walk
ways so that once again fami
ly members can visit the
graves of loved ones. Stepp
says much progress has been
made over the last few years.
Tomorrow, for the first time,
the group will open the ceme
tery for Easter.
Millbrook and the Odd
Fellows restoration group
have butted heads in the past.
Stepp has complained that
apartment dwellers have
dumped mattresses and trash
over the fence into the grave
yard. The two parties also
I
don't see eye-to-eye about the
cemetery's boundaries.
"The fence needs to be
moved toward Millbrook
Apartments." said Stepp. who
believes that at the least,
graves could be in the back
yards of some apartments.
Although the discovery of
the graves boosts Stepp's con
tention, Nichols says that
where the cemetery ends is
"speculation" because there
are no records any longer.
Nichols did not. however, rule
out the possibility of the fence
been moved closer to the
apartment complex.
"That is an issue open to
discussion," he said.
Stepp and the Odd Fellows
group have not ruled out the
possibility of a civil suit
aimed at forcing the owners of
the apartments to move the
fen^^
t;
You can e-mail the news
department at
news@wschronicle.com
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