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CHROM"' e
Vol. XXXIV No. 34 THURSDAY, May ?, 2008
Parkland
runners
celebrate
successes
-See Page Bl
Locals talk
about
Obama's
ex pastor
Students
celebrate
Cinco
de Mayo
Willa Abbott
Nurse
Abbott's
lifetime
of caring
After 41 years ,
she prepares for
retirement
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
Registered nurse Willa
Abbott has seen it all. For
four long decades, she has
cared for patients at Wake
Forest University Baptist
Medical Center. In the midst
of National Nurses' Week,
observed May 6-12, the soon
tp-be retiree reflected on a
successful career that began
in 1966, when Abbott, a girl
of 21 , landed a job at the pres
tigious, and predominantly
white, facility. She was five
days out of nursing school.
"I came over to Baptist
and applied for a job and they
of course for some reason
hired me," she quipped. "It*s
been a good fit for me or I
wouldn't have stayed for so
long."
Though she was hired on
her first attempt, Abbott says
she didn't always feel wel
come at her new place of
employment.
"It wasn't easy for me per
See Abbott on All
New Boys and Girls Club dedicated
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE 0
Though it won't be open for busi
ness until June, Winston-Salem's first
new Salvation
Army Boys and
Girls Club in 56
years was dedi
cated last week.
The facility's
large gymnasium
was transformed
into a posh ban
quet hall for the
dedication cere
Gaither mony, which
attracted more
than 500 people and also served as a
fund-raiser for the club. The new,
state-of-the-art facility on Reynolds
Park Road will replace the current club
on Martin Luther King Drive, which
has served the community for more
than half century. About 400 children,
ages five to 18, take part in after
school and summer programs at the
club. All services are provided with
KEN CARLSON
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB
0 ' Photos by Todd Luck
The new club is on Reynolds Park Road.
minimal cost to parents.
"We try to make it affordable, and I
think that's what sets us a part from
WJO*.--,. , ? ... , .rV. Vv-., ?? - ? 1
other youth-providing agencies," said
Lisa Parish, director of operations at
the club.
The new Ken Carlson Boys and
Girls Club is named for a longtime
Salvation Army board member, donor
and volunteer. A doctor and prolific
community volunteer, Carlson has
given more than 900 children free
physicals in the last decade. He is
excited that the new facility bears his
name.
"With this new faculty and the sup
port of the community, the future of
this organization is really something
else," said Carlson
The new club has $4 million price
tag, is 22,000 square feet and can
accommodate 1,000 members. The
switch over to the new club is planned
for the second week of June. The old
location will then be used for the
Salvation Army's emergency assis
tance and Christmas programs.
Sylvia Adams, the club's executive
director, is pleased with the club's
upgrade.
"I've been here for about 20 years
and we have watched the old building
, on Martin Luther King we've
,? See Club on A6
City Hosts Another Hopeful
WFU Photo
Sen. John McCain of Arizona speaks to a packed house Tuesday morning in Wait
Chapel on the campus of Wake Forest University. McCain took part in a forum on the
federal judiciary and became the latest presidential hopeful to visit Winston-Salem. Sen.
Hillary Clinton was here, also at WFU, two Weeks ago. And a week ago, Sen. Barack
Obama was in town for a rally. Sitting next to him is former US. Senator Fred
Thompson, who is best known as a television and film actor. Thompson was one of sev
eral Republicans that McCain beat in the GOP Presidential Primary processi In
November, he will take on either Obama or Clinton.
Chorus of caring voices
helps kids in need in Africa
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Photo by Tbdd Luck
Dr. Jane Stephens accepts the check from Zoe Kurtz.
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
o
For the past three years, grocery chain
Harris Teeter has held a contest, inviting its cus
tomers in nine states to sing its famous "My
Harris Teeter" jingle.
The lofty $10,000 prize attracts many cre
ative contestants. Harris Teeter's Jennifer
Panetta said that she thought she'd seen it all
until a local entry caught the store's attention
this year.
"We've had groups. We've had individuals.
We've had people singing in their bathrooms.
We've never had a group of children who sent
in and wanted to give the money away," said
Panetta.
Those were the intentions of a second-grade
grade class at Forsyth Country Day School in
Lewisville. The students entered the contest
with the goal of giving their winnings to the
Amani Children's Foundation, a local charity
that provides for children orphaned by AIDS
and poverty in Kenya.
But the students' attempt to help children an
See Jingle on A4
WSSU Photo by Garrett Garms
Chancellor Donald Reaves, from left, sits by Marshall Bass
and Geneva Brown during last week's service.
Remembering
Greatness
School recalls service of
Wilveria Bass Atkinson
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
Winston-Salem State University mourned the loss of Dr.
Wilveria Bass Atkinson, one its
most distinguished former facul
ty members, in a special memo
rial service on campus last
Friday afternoon.
Atkinson, a WSSU professor
for more than three decades and
the former chair of the
Department of Life Sciences,
passed away Feb. 29 in
Morehead City, NC. A native of
Goldsboro, Atkinson became an
internationally-known educator
and is credited with putting
WSSU's Life Sciences
Department on the proverbial Atkinson in 2005.
map, procuring more than $24
million in funding for the institution over the course of her career
Se? Atkinson on A13
In Memory of
Chartene
Russell Brown
"Growing and Still Dedicated to Serve You Better "
?IRua sell Home
Wishes to Thank Everyone For Their Support
822 earl Russell Ave.
(at Martin Luther King Or.)
Winston-Salem , NC 27101
C336) 722-3459
Fax (336) 631-8268
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