Allen is 'Cinderella' Submitted Photo City native Traci Allen poses in front of a Twin Cities (Minn.) area billboard touting her star ring role in the Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis' unique staging of "Cinderella." The play, which opened earlier this month and will run through Jan. 5, is the latest major act ing gig for Allen, the daughter of Forsyth County residents John and Gloria Allen. Previously, she starred in a national tour of "The Color Purple." Palmer receives elite Toastmasters distinction SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE Winston-Salem resident John G. Palmer was awarded the Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) on Oct. 26 at the District 37 Toastmaster's Fall Conference in Cary. DTM is the highest educa tional award in Toastmasters. Toastmasters International is a worldwide organization ded icated to helping members improve their public speaking and leadership skills. It has 292,000 members in 14,330 clubs in 122 countries. Palmer is a member of Forsyth Toastmasters Club #1278, which meets at 6:15 p.m. on the first and third Thursday each month at Mayberry Restaurant on Miller Street. ITOASTMASTERS | INTERNATIONAL | Smaller downtown Christmas tree erected SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE The Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership (DWSP) has installed a Christmas tree in Merschel Plaza, which is near the intersection of 4th and Trade streets in the heart of down town, as part of downtown's 2013 "It's a Wonderful Life" theme. The tree was paid for by the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership with a grant from the Winston-Salem Millennium Fund. "We are very proud of our involvement with the City Christmas Tree in Corpening Plaza and our long-time role in producing the Tree Lighting Ceremony for over 20 years," said DWSP President Jason Thiel. "The Merschel Plaza tree is a nice complement that will be enjoyed by pedestrians i a anu liiuiuinis aui^c. The DWSP will be hanging the lights on the tree in the next few weeks and will light the Merschel Plaza tree simultaneously with the City Tree on Saturday, Dec. 7. WFU Photo James M. O'Connell is a 2013 WFU graduate. WFU has another Rhodes Scholar SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE Wake Forest graduate James M. O'Connell has been named a Rhodes Scholar. O'Connell, who is from Tampa, Fla., graduated summa cum laude in May 2013 with a bachelor of arts in politics and international affairs. He _ I pians 10 complete a mas ter's degree in public poli cy. O'Connell is among 32 Americans chosen by the Rhodes Trust on Nov. 23 to study at England's Oxford University in 2014. He is the 13th Wake Forest student to be named a Rhodes Scholar in the past 27 years. "This was a team I. ? ciiun. ii icquucu cigm recommendations and so much sup port," says O'Connell. "I couldn't have done it without great mentors at Wake Forest and at home. One person gets the recognition, but the real credit belongs to everyone who helped along the way. I'm especially thankful for my mom, who's really the best in the busi ness. Without her, this wouldn't have been possible." I O'Connell plans to focus on securi ty studies at Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government, with a specific focus on the strategic use of hard and soft power. "The U.S. shoulders much of the responsibility for securing peace," O'Connell says. "The next generation of leaders must be prepared to step up and Keep tne world sale, it will be essential to use 'smart power' toward that aim. We'll need to leverage everything in our toolbox ? including diplomacy, development and, at times, military might ? as we fight for a more secure world." O'Connell wrote his senior thesis on Al-Qaeda after 9/11. He aspires to join me mvy aner com pleting his masters. "I still have plenty to learn, but the Navy seems like a great next step toward service," he says. O'Connell is currently completing a year-long position as a full-time staff member in the Office of the President as a Wake Forest Fellow. "Seldom have 1 met a young person with a more inquisitive mind or wider range of intellectual interests," says Wake Forest President Nathan O. Hatch. "Jim is also a tremendous 'relater'to other people, and he reaches out in deliberate and effective ways to better understand a subject or an indi vidual." As an undergrad, he was a student member of the Wake Forest Board of Trustees and a chair of the Honor Council. He led the effort to create an LGBTQ center at the University, organized events for the Faces of Courage program celebrating the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Wake Forest and has written one fea ture length screenplay and three for short films, and is hosting a weekly radio show on film and culture. "Jim's receiving the Rhodes is tes tament to the kind of leader he is, someone whose own intellectual and ethical reflections time and again inspire others." says Tom Phillips, director of the Wake Forest Scholars program. "Jim has a strong curiosity about the world combined with an ardent desire to serve that world." O'Connell says that winning the Rhodes Scholarship is the beginning of the journey, not the end. "1 feel a deep responsibility to con tinue learning and serving." he said. 1 ?LAJH Hatch The Chronicle Your Choice for Community News www.wschronicle.com 52 Weeks for just $18! This special otter applies to new subscribers and those who have not received mail delivery in the past 30 days Limited time otter Yes, send me The Chronicle. Enclosed is my check. Name Address ? City ?? State Zip Phone Email ? 52 weeks for just $18. $30 72 reg ? 26 weeks $20.48 reg. ? 13 weeks, $10.24 reg. To order mall delivery by phone, call (336) 722-8624 ext 100 Return to: THE CHRONICLE P.O. 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