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/~~-#ORTH CAROLINA ROOM
jIBRARY
FORSYTH CTY PUBLIC
660 W 5TH ST
WINSTON SALrH NC 27101-2755
Vol. XXXIII No. 23 THURSDAY, February 15, 2007
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Coliseum name change irks some
* WINSTON SALE
enter tain ment-spof ts complex
The new name of the complex overshadows the name of the
Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
Prior to its opening in August of 1 989, con
troversy swirled around the
Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial
Coliseum. The coliseum was named
for the late Lawrence Joel, a
Winston-Salem resident who. at the
time, was the only living African
American to " receive the
Congressional Medal of Honor -
which he was awarded in 1967 - in
more than a century. There was con
siderable opposition to the naming
of the complex, and City Council
was evenly divided along racial
In May of 2006. the City Council approved
a motion to combine the UVM Coliseum, the
Coliseum Annex, the Pixie Classic
Fairgrounds, Ernie Shore Field and Bowman
Cirav Stadium under nne name the
Winston-Salem Entertainment
Sports Complex. ,
Some who fought years ago to
name the coliseum after the storied
veteran now fetl that name,
Winston-Salem Entertainment
Sports Complex, is getting top
billing over the name Lawrence
Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The Rev. Carlton Eversley, pas
tor of Dellabrook Presbyterian
Church :tnd ;i nmmincnt mpmhi'r of
Johnson
lines on the issue until then Council Member
Martha Wood crossed the racial divide and cast
the tie breaking vote.
Now, nearly two decades later, the name of
the coliseum is again the subject of great dis
cord within the community.
I - -
the Ministers'- Conference of Winston-Salem,
attended the Frank Spencer Basketball
Tournament at the coliseum late last year, and
says he was shocked to hear the facility
referred to as a part of the complex. Eversley.
See LJVM on AS
Filmmaker shines light on tragedy
Emmett Till was 14 when a
white mob killed him
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
Keith Bcauchuirip. the filmmaker whose docu
mentary on the death of Emmett Till is credited
with reopening the five-decade-old case, told a
crowd at Wake Forest University last week about
his struggle to give Till justice.
Beauchamp's film "The Untold Story of
Emmett Till" was the result of nine years of
research he did on the famous slaying. Till was a
I 4 - y e a r - o 1 a
black boy who,
while visiting
Mississippi in
1955, was bru
tally killed- for
allegedly
whistling at a
white woman.
Till's face was
mutilated
beyond recogni
tion and his
mother. Mamie
Till-Mobley,
held his funeral
with an open
casket so all the
world could see
the horror that
befell her son. Beauchamp said that civil rights
leaders like Rosa Parks credit Till's death as one
of their motivating factors.
"The murder of Emmett Lewis Till woke the
sleeping giant of black people across this globe
and of course the civil -rights movement, in my
opinion, was then destined to happen." said
Beauchamp.
Two white men were charged with Till's mur
der but were acquitted by all white juries. Both
men. now dead, later confessed to the crime in a
magazine article. Beauchamp said he .never
dreamed while making the film he would be able
to travel the world talking about the reopening of
the Till case. He said since it was reopened in
File Photo
Ben Ruffin graduated from \CCU.
WFUPtwto
Keith Beauchamp addresses a crowd at Wake Forest University about his film.
2004, he's been working with the FBI on the
investigation. He said that several people who are
still living may be charged in the case, but that it's
a long way from going to court.
During his research for the film, Beauchamp
said that he spent eight years talking with Mamie
Till-Mobley over the phone before her death in
2003. He spoke fpndly of her, saying her decision
to have an open casket service was a couragepus
one and described her as one of the greatest peo
ple of her era. He described her as a deeply spir
, itual wortien who wanted to see the truth come out
in her son's case. He said Emmett was her only
child because, after what happened to him, she
didn't want to bring another child into this world.
He said that she hoped to see people engage in a
cleansing dialog about what happened to her son.
"I don't have the answers to everything, to all
of life's problems, my objective is to raise that
question so we can have this cleansing dialog to
come up with a solution." said Beauchamp.
He said that the renewed interest in the Till
case has created interest in other unsolved civil
rights slayings. This led to the "Till Bill." cur
rently in the U.S. Congress, which will create a
cold case unit to investigate unsolved civil rights
killings that happened before before 1969.
See Beauchamp on All
Central will honor Ruffin Tuesday
CHRONICLE STAFF Rl I'c )K I
The late Ben Ruffin, a Durham native who lived
much of his adult life in Winston-Salem, will be hon
ored Tuesday by North Carolina Central
Universitv. where he earned his bachelor's
degree.
"Ben was an outstanding leader," said
Chancellor James H. Ammons. "fta.was a
great organizer and spokesman who was
well respected in all circles. We are look
ing forward to naming the residence hail in
his honor."
Ruffin died last December, a few days
shy of his 65th birthday. He was a civil
rights activist, businessman and the first
black chairman of the North Carolina
u.. i nf r:,*, wrrl i ...n v....... ..
ior managing director of l.a/ard Freres & Co .'LLC in
New York. He works with a diverse group of clienls
across a broad range of industries. Prior to joining
Lazard, Jordan was a senior executive partner with the
law firm of Akin. Gump. Strauss. Haucr &
? 1.,.1/J I I P h?-? r?>ni:iin^ nf?niw rnnnvi?l
Jordan, who also served Bill Clinton
during his presidency, was also theOOeorgia
field director of Ihe NAACP. and an attor
ney in private practice in Arkansas and
Georgia.
The New Baynes Residence Hall will he
dedicated to Rutfin. The $15 million build
ing was opened in 2005 and was one of the
new facilities constructed under the 2000
university bond passed by state voters.
Ruffin, who was president of the Ruffin
Jordan
special program in honor of Ruffin at 2 p.m. in the
B.N. Duke Auditorium. After that, a campus building
will be dedicated to Ruffin.
Vernon Jordan, a politically-connected civil rights
champion, will keynote the program. Jordan is a sen
vjroup in v* I IIMUI [ i . wa> uic impicm
of honorary degrees from NCCU. North Carolina
A&T Slate University, Edward Waters College,
Elizabeth City State University and Winston-Salem
See Ruffin on A12
Photo courtesy of UNC
Donald J. Reaves will lead
WSSU starting in August.
Reaves
will
replace
Martin
New WSSU
chancellor has
impressive credentials
CHRONICLE STAFF RETORT ^
The next chancellor of
Winston-Salem Slate
University met with the stu
dents, staff and faculty that
he will lead when he takes
the post later this year.
Donald J. Keaves has
huge shoes to fill. He will
replace Harold Martin, a
city native who led WSSU
for five
years
before
being
appointed
last year
as the
se n i o r
vice pres
ident for
academic
affairs for
t h e
Howard-Vital
University of North
Carolina system. Reaves,
60, is currently the vice
president for administration,
and chief financial officer at
the University of Chicago, a
post he has held sfnce 2002.
"The responsibility that
has been entrusted to me is
enormous." Reaves said.
"The work is important, and
I am fully prepared to do my
best for Winston-Salem
State University and the
University of North
Carolina system of higher
education."
The WSSU Board of
Trustees has been in search
Of a replacement for Martin
for the past several months.
Michelle Howard-Vital, a o
former UNC system official,
has served as interim chan
cellor since Martin left. She
will retain that title until
Aug. 15, when Reaves will
take over.
WSSU trustees recom
mended Reaves for the job
to the UNC Board of
Governors, which also gave
its OK. UNC President
?Erskine Bowles joined
Reaves and his wife,
Deborah, Friday at WSSU.
said keaves is well-quali
fied.
"In a stellar career that
spans more than 25 years,
Donald Reaves has distin
guished himself as a faculty
member, topnotch adminis
trator. and proven leader. He
has taught and held senior
See Reaves on A 13
In Grateful Memory of Our
Founders,
Florrie S. Russelt and
Carl H. Russell, Sr.
"Growing and Still Dedicated to Serve You Better "
Kugstell fflmteral Mmm
Wishes to Thank Everyone For Their Support
H22 Carl Russell Ave,
(at Martin l^uther King Or.)
Winston-Salem , NC 27101
(336) 722-3459
fax (336) 631-8268
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