Big 4 alumni celebrate legendary band
directors
Photo* by Eric MizeUc for the Winston-Salem Chroaicle
Mr. and Mrt. Rudolph Valentino Boone Sr. listen as
members of the Carver High School Alumni
Association speak during the Dedication of Band
Rooms celebration on Saturday, April 25.
BY TEVIN STINSON
FOR THE CHRONICLE
When you hear band director, most
people just think of a teacher of music.
But for the former directors Rudolph V.
Boone of Carver, Bernard T. Foy of
Paisley, and Henry D. Wheeler of Atkins
(now home of Winston-Salem Prepatory
Academy), it was a lot more than just
music. It was their way of giving their stu
dents lessons that would help them be suc
cessful in all aspects of life.
After a lot of lobbying from Beverly
Williams and of The Big 4 Alumni
Association of Forsyth County Inc., on
Saturday, April 25, the three schools held a
dedication program at Carver High School
to rename the band rooms in honor of the
legendary directors, who combined had
over 90 years of service.
"They taught us to never walk in any
one's shadow," Williams said. "They
insisted on perfection."
The Big 4 ? Atkins, Anderson,Carver
and Paisley high schools ? represent the
four high schools in Winston-Salem that
were for African- American students only
because of segregation. Although they
were rivals then. The Big 4 Alumni
Association represents the graduates of
these four schools and is dedicated to sup
porting youth through scholarship and
community outreach.
As people started to fill into the audito
rium, laughs and joyous chatter began to
echo through the room. Renee Vaughn, co
host of the Tom Joyner morning show and
Carver alumnus, was the mistress of cere
mony and was delighted to host the event.
"If feels great to be at my alma mater,"
she said. "It was a long time ago since 1
walked these halls, but coming here today
brought back so many memories."
. The program began with a slide show
l of pictures from the directors' tenures. A
' number of people in the audience even saw
themselves in pictures, some even said
aloud the names of classmates they saw in
pictures who weren't in attendance:
A number of former students of the
legendary directors reminisced about their
experiences and how they impacted their
lives. George Johnson of Winston-Salem
had the pleasure of being taught by both
Boone and Wheeler and was quick to
remind the crowd of it.
"Not many people can say they were
taught by more than one of these legends,
so I guess I have a little more bragging
rights than everybody else," Johnson said.
The program included performances
by The New South Brass, directed by Gary
Hasting; The Healing Force; Keith Boyd
and Friends Jazz Ensemble; and The Big 4
Choir, directed by Eddie Bines. Nell Davis
Britton and Gary Hasting also had special
solo performances.
Tickets were sold at the door for $25,
with proceeds (after all expenses are paid)
to benefit scholarships and other commu
nity projects of The Big 4 Alumni
Association of Forsyth County Inc., which
sponsored the event.
Dr. Beverly Emory, superintendent of
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools,
also attended.
She said she believes that we need
more educators to adapt the morals as
Boone, Foy and Wheeler.
"This is more than some names on a
building," Emory said. "These men were
more than teachers; they were difference
makers."
The Big 4 Choir performs at the Dedication of Band Rooms celebration on Saturday, April 25 at Carver
High School Auditorium.
Routes
front page AT
or the city.
WSTA has already used its automatic
passenger counter information and a sur
vey of passenger's origin and destinations
to draw up new proposed routes. Barnes
said changes in travel patterns will be
taken into account for things like more
direct routes to popular destinations. There
will also be changes in the amount of
routes at certain times of day. For instance.
Saturday would see less daytime routes but
more nighttime routes. There will be
changes to bus stops using federal funds to
update and add stops.
The new route proposal will be pre
sented by the WSTA staff at meetings from
May 6 to June 8, where the public will be
able to comment.
"We need to know from our constitutes
what their needs are that we haven't cov
ered already," Barnes said.
After that, changes may be made to the
proposed routes. Then they'll be submitted
for approval by the WSTA Board of
Directors in June, and then to City
Council.
City Council Member Dan Besse, who
chairs the Public Works Committee that
oversees transportation, said WSTA has
reached out to City Council members to
get input on the routes in their wards. He
said he's relayed several requests from his
constitutes on route changes, including
getting service to apartment complexes
near Academy Street that didn't previously
have it. He hopes the public comes out to .
the comment meetings.
(txir. j a! , x* j; .
we neea me opporrunuy ior direct
public feedback through these public
meetings to back-stop our estimates to
make sure we're getting it right," he said.
Besse said like other cities across the
nation, Winston-Salem is attempting to
improve its bus service with limited funds
after cuts in federal funding for public
transportation. He said the city has made
important strides, like Next Bus, which lets
passengers use their computers or smart
phones to know when their buses will get
to the bus stops. He hopes improvements
will help WSTA attract new passengers.
Barnes said when the route changes
take place, there will be an "incredible"
marketing campaign to let passengers
know when the changes go into effect and
what they'll be.
For a full list of public hearings on
route changes, see the WSTA ad on page
A4.
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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON ? Loretta Lynch, a North Carolina native, was sworn in Monday,
April 27, as the 83rd attorney general, becoming the first African-American woman to
serve as the top U.S. law enforcement official.
She said her confirmation as attorney general showed that "we can do anything" and
pledged to deal with cyberattacks and other threats facing the country.
"We can restore trust and faith both in our laws and those who enforce them," Lynch
said, an apparent reference to ongoing efforts to repair relations between police depart
ments and minority communities. She was born in Greensboro and raised in Durham.
Vice President Joe Biden administered the oath of office to Lynch at a Justice
Department ceremony. Her father, Lorenzo Lynch, who is from Durham, N.C., and her
husband, Stephen Hargrove, helped. Lynch replaces Eric Holder, who left the job Friday,
April 24, after six years as head of the department.
The 55-year-old Lynch was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday, April 23, following
a months-long delay in which her nomination became caught up in a dispute over human
trafficking legislation r
"It's about time," Biden said to applause.
She was previously the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, which
encompasses much of New York City, and is expected to serve as the top federal law
enforcement offi91? for the remaining 20 months of the Obama administration.
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