Photo by Kevin Walker
Marshall Bass signs a copy of his book Tuesday evening.
A Full Life
Marshall Bass
recall ? highs, lows
in autobiography
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
On the cover of his new auto
biography, Marshall Brent Bass
is shown standing at the top of a
long stretch of highway and look
ing back at the road behind him.
The picture is symbolic - used to
show Bass's amazing journey
from a child of the segregated
South, to decorated military offi
cer, to corporate trailblazer. But
the book cover shows a nearly
smooth, straight road, lined with
beautiful trees and no traffic con
gestion or roadblocks in sight.
That has not been the road
that Bass has traveled. His book.
"The Path of My Pilgrimage,"
shows that his journey has not
always been smooth. There have
been potholes, head-on collisions
- times V heti it was hard to keep
steering.
Three years ago, Bass
thought it was time to chronicle
the peaks and valleys of his life,
not for fame or vanity but for
posterity's sake.
"1 wanted to leave some doc
umentation of who 1 am and what
I did for my children and my
grandchildren and my lineage to
come," he said. If others find
strength and wisdom in Bass'
story, he says so be it.
A Goldsboro native. Bass
grew up one of 1 1 children. His
father passed away when Bass
was a young boy. His strong
willed mother instilled God-fear
ing values in her children and the
importance of education. Bass
and all of his siblings graduated
from college or trade school.
"There was no question that I
was going to go to college," he
said. "That was just the way we
were brought up."
Bass graduated from the Uni
versity of Maryland and was
drafted into the Army, where he
would spend nearly a quarter
century.
"I can't think of anything I
could have done that would have
prepared me for life like the mil
itary," said Bass, who served in
World War II. Korea and Viet
nam. A good chunk of his book ?
which was written with the help
of freelance writer William Turn
er - is devoted to his time in the
military. He tells the storiespf^
people he met as if thejjjuetTngs
took place yesterday. In one such
story, Bass tells of meeting Sen.
Strom Thurmond while Bass was
commanding a combat team in
the DMZ in Korea. Bass recalls
Thurmond giving him a hall
hearted handshake, and then
Thurmond directed all of his
questions to Bass white .intelli
gence officer.
Bass met Vice President
Hubert Humphrey around that
same time. It was a meeting that
would change Bass' lite. Bass
flew from Korea to the United
States on the vice president's
plane. Somewhere along the way
Humphrey told Bass that it was
time for him to get out of the mil
itary and make some money.
"1 think that he saw some
thing in me.'" Bass said. The next
year (1968), Bass was out of uni
form and in a business suit. He
came to Winston-Salem to work
for R.J. Reynolds, becoming the
company's first-ever black man
ager. He worked at the company
for more than two decades, retir
ing in 1999 as senior vice presi
dent of RJR Nabisco.
In his book, he recalls-that
being the first was not always
easy: Subordinates tried to belit
tle him. and many questioned if
he belonged. On top of every
thing else. Bass said, he had to
deal with the fact that white RJR
managers enjoyed privilege* out
side of work in terms of housing
loans and access that he did not.
"Those were the challenges
for me. It was not the work.'" he
said. Today, Bass' years of work
and community involvement
have made him well-known and
respected in this city, so much so
that on Tuesday during his first
book signing at the Old Salem
Visitors Center, a who's who list
of local businesspeople and dig
nitaries showed up to support
Bass.
These days. Bass says he is
grateful for the simple things that
many people take for granted. He
is spry at 77. He plays tennis
every Saturday and can run and
swim like a man hall his age.
He is happily married to the
love of his life. Celeste, and olten
travels to Michigan and Califor
Film legends expected
for RiverRun Film Fest
CHRONIC I I STAR REPORT
The RiverRun Internationa]
Film Festival has announced
that Lucy Cabarga witl be a
"guest of honor" at the festival,
which kicks off tonight in Win
ston-Salem. Cabarga. one of
Mexico s most
influential film
industry veterans,
will also partici
pate in an open
forum about Film
making in Mexico
at 1 1 a.m. on Sat
urday at the
Recording Stage
at the N.C. School
of the Arts
(NCSA) School of
Filmmaking.
Cabarga has been involved
with the film and television
industry in Mexico for 40
years. For 25 years, Cabarga
served as film commissioner
for Cuernavaca, a historic city
in the Mexican state of More
los. Since 1998 she has been
the Morelos general director of
promotion of film and televi
sion.
RiverRun has also
announced that Academy
Award-winning actress sissy
Spacek will be on hand for part
of the festival. Spacek, who
won an Oscar for her role in
Spacek
"Coal Miner's Daugh
ter," will attend the
Krispy Kreme Pre
miere and Gala on Fri
day. This year's pre
miere. "Laws of
Attraction," will be
screened at 7 p.m. at
the Stevens Center.
The gala will follow
the premiere at the
nearby Millennium
Center. Spacek's hus
band. art director Jack
Fisk, is also expected to attend.
RiverRun is screening more
than 110 new and independent
dramatic, documentary, short,
student and animated films dur
ing the four-day festival. For
ticket information, and titles
and locations, visit www.river
runfilm.com or call 724-1502.
*
nia to visit his two daughters and
four grandchildren.
Bass also practices what his
mother preached to him many
years ago.
"She always told us 'to
whom much is given much is
required and to whom much
more is given, much more is
required."
A few years ago Bass found
ed the Marshall B. Bass Chil
dren's Fund. whic)i provides
grants to many agencies that help
young people. The man who has
worn the titles of officer and
executive now is often called a
philanthropist. It is a title that he
doesn't mind, but Bass doesn't
see himself in those terms.
"The term philanthropist is
OK, but I like to say 1 share. I like
to share what I have with other
people and the reason is. I was
taught that."
Marshall Bass will sign
copies of his book on May I al
the Can'er Library at J p.m. and
at Special Occasions on May 15
from noon to 2 p.m.
News
Clips
Conrad-Shrader running for
N.C. House
Debra Conrad-Shrader, a
Forsyth County commissioner
since 1 994, announced her candi
dacy for the N.C. House District
74 at a news conference at the
Forsyth County Board of Elec
tions.
"Raleigh needs a representa
tive of local government," Con
rad-Shrader said during her
remarks. "Legislators need to
understand the impact that their
decisions have on local govern
ing bodies, and the ability of
local governments to provide for
the needs of the people.
"My 10 years as a county
commissioner, my experiences in
economic development, educa
tion. and my experience in con
servative fiscal management of
public funics will provide that
representation and understand
ing."
Conrad-Shrader is a lifelong
Republican.
> ' She is a graduate of Wake
Forest University, and is a listing
and buyers agent for Graham &
Boles Properties.
Republican candidates
forum tonight
The Forsyth County Republi
can Women are hosting a con
gressional forum for 12th and 5th
District candidates tonight. The
moderator will be WX11 reporter
Angela Pellerano. Doors will
open at 5:30 p.m.. and the forum
will begin promptly at 6. The
forum will take place at the
Ramada Inn on University Park
way. The event is free and open
to all registered Republicans and
independents.
British cars at
Reynolda House
More than 150 British cars
will grace the lawns of Reynolda
House and Historic Reynolda
Village on Sunday from 10 a.m.
to 3 p in. The 19th annual British
Car Gathering, cosponsored by
the Triumph Club of the Caroli
nas and Reynolda Village, will
feature Jaguars, MGs, Austin
Healy, Triumphs, Bentley. Rolls
Royce, TVRs, and Aston Mar
tins. The featured marque on the
Reynolda House lawn will be a
TR-6.
In addition to the gathering of
cars, festival visitors can enjoy
"wrench wracing" for all ages,
beginning at 1 :30 p.m.
Reynolda House will be open
during its normal Sunday hours
of 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the
regular admission rates: Adults
are $8. seniors are $7. students 18
and under and college students
with an ID are free. A guided tour
at 2 p.m. is included in the price
of admission, or visitors are wel
come to take a self-guided tour.
Actress to speak at
Salem commencement
Actress Celia Weston will
speak to Salem College's gradu
ates May 22 at 10 a.m. in the
May Dell, an outdoor amphithe
ater on Salem's campus.
Weston earned a bachelor of
arts in att and psychology from
Weston
Salem
College,
where she
was pres
ident of
the Pier
rettes. the
Salem
College
drama
group,
and
Dansalems, Salem's modern
dance society.
After graduating from Salem.
Weston studied theater arts at the
N.C. School of the Arts and the
Rose Bruford School in London.
Weston first gained recogni
tion as an actress in her role as
Jolene Hunnicut on the CBS sit
com "Alice." She has gone on to
appear in dozens of films, televi
sion shows and plays, both on
and off Broadway.
Old Salem Inc. receives
$30,000 grant
Old Salem Inc. has been
" grant *30-000 by
<he Winston-Salem Foundation
2*, P8"' will be used to help
Sui8le Brothers' Garden
Funds for this granl were
made available from Uk Anne
Hanes Willis Fund.
TT>e Single Brothers Garden
will be one of the largest garden
projects in America.
V* 8?<I?b will lie in the area
|?nnCTly occupied by the fonner
Old Salem Vis, tor Center and
Wmn approximately
^?9?? ?luare fee t of garden
"s sel on an enormous I ~> ter
race garden. The project is
expected to be completed in fall
'The success of the Single
GardenrcPresentswhat
is nest in our community - neo
to?"her to achieve
great things, ' said Keves
Williamson, director of horticul
ture lor Old Salem. "The garden
combines the support of local
garden clubs, individuals, and the
Winston-Salem Foundation,
fcach is a key player, contributing
to the eventual success of what is
'hL' mos? exciting landscape
tion P^OjeC, a 8enera"
AARP director to speak at
I mted Metropolitan Baptist
Church
Bob Jackson, N.C. AARP
^ Helen Salvage. N.C.
AAKP advocacy director, will
speak and answer questions on
dn. "Z /-lXilCarc Prescription
drag benefits today at United
Me iropolitan Missionary Baptist
luirch, 450 Metropolitan Drive.
Ihe program - sponsored by
NoTr r'CeS Inc" AARP
North Carolina and the Forsyth
&AARP - W,U ?*
from 10 a.m. to noon.
State Reps^ Lairy Womble
^nd Panno" will also
NAACPto hold monthly
meeting
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth
County NAACP will hold its
monthly meeting April 27 at 7
P-m. on the second floor of the
c Mulua) Building, 1225
F'fth Street. The focus of the
meeting will be Community Foot
9 uAe. ne+n&ihakle, new- ccuic&i tAedt*He*U
teciuvolatjif, like thtee-ciUneH&umcd
^adiaiia*t lo- isfiaAe healthy tiiAue i*
biecui ccuuxt patienti.
Lisa Evans, M.D.
Remarkable People. Remarkable Medicine.
It's wtiy 7 out of 1 0 Forsyth County cancer patients
and their physicians choose Forsyth Regional
Cancer Center. If you or someone you care for
has been diagnosed with cancer, we can help.
Visit www.ForsythMedicalCenter.org.
REGIONAL CANCER CENTER
Remarkable People. Remarkable Medicine.
What is your risk of cancer?
Call 1-866-61 1-3722 i.oiif?)
F