On Feb. 16, the City Council voted to change
Lawrence Street to Hardesty Lane.
Photos by Tevin Stinson
for The Chronicle
Virginia and Ashley Hardesty stand with plaque given to them after the street was renamed in honor of the
late Charles Hardesty.
Street renamed to honor businessman Charles Hardesty
BY TEVIN STBMSON
FOR THE CHRONICLE :
On Sunday, April 26, members of the community gath
ered on the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. and
Lawrence Street to honor Charles Hardesty, founder of
Forsyth Seafood, who died in early 2013.
Forsyth Seafood has been a staple to the community,
known for giving youth opportunities for employment,
and giving back to the community.
On Feb. 16, the Winston-Salem City County unani
mously voted to rename Lawrence Street to Hardesty
Lane.
Hardesty and his wife, Virginia, started Forsyth
Seafood in 1983 in a truck at Cooks Flea Market. In 1984,
they opened a market on Liberty Street In downtown
Winston-Salem.
In 1991, they moved to the current location on Martin
Luther King Jr. Drive when they converted a convenience
store into a market and take-out grill. The Liberty Street
market closed in 2012 to make room for the BB&T
Ballpark.
"We always knew we wanted to open a business; it
was just a matter of deciding which direction to go,"
Virginia Hardesty said.
Charles Hardesty grew up in Beaufort, N.C., where he
was a standout quarterback and pitcher at East Carteret
High School. He went on to attend Elizabeth City State
University, where he earned a degree in industrial arts.
After college, he returned to Beaufort, where he
worked as a recreation site director. It was there he began
to instill his belief in his dedication of hard work and giv
ing back to others.
Growing up on the coast, both Charles and Virginia's
parents were commercial fishermen, so the choice to open
a seafood restaurant was a no-brainer. During the early
years, Charles and Virginia would travel back and forth
from Beaufort to bring fresh fish to the community.
During the ceremony on April 26, a number of Charles
Hardesty's friends talked about how he lived by the same
hard-work principles he preached.
John Tyson, a hometown friend and football teammate
of Charles, talked about how he was a very hard worker
on the field as well.
"Charles was the quarterback and I was the lineman. I
was in charge of protecting him," Tyson said.
As a member of Goler Memorial AM.E. Zion Church,
at 620 N. Patterson Ave., Charles Hardesty started a min
istry that fed the hungry and homeless every Wednesday.
The program has been serving the community for more
than 10 years.
The Hardestys have been a staple in the community
and have instilled those morals into their daughter Ashley,
who graduated from N.C. State in 2013. Ashley now
works at the restaurant full time and has kept the business
up to date.
"Ashley is very creative. Things have changed a lot
from a marketing standpoint from when we first started,"
Virginia Hardesty said. "She keeps us up to date with
things like Facebook pages."
Former N.C. Sen. Earline W. Parmon spoke at the cer
emony. She said she believes that the location of the street
couldn't have been any better.
"When you look up at that sign, you will know two
great men, who made a impact in the African-American
community," she said.
I
Virginia Hardesty welcomes members of the commu
nity and government officials to the renaming
ceremony.
mm
WINSTON-SALEM TRANSIT AUTHORITY '
Your Bus Route May Be Changing!
For your convenience, the Winston-Salem Transit Authority is holding public hearings throughout the
community to discuss the proposed new route changes, and the new booking policy for
Trans-AID passengers. If you would like to get a view of the proposed routes and/or the new
Trans-AID booking policy before the meeting(s) in your community, you may pick up a copy of them
on Friday, May 1,2015 at the Clark Campbell Transportation Center, 100 West Fifth Street
in downtown Winston-Salem or visit our website at www.wstransit.com.
We look forward to seeing you.
Location
Clark Campbell Transportation Center
KC Boys & Girls Club @ 2100 Reynolds Park Road,
27107
The Prosperity Center @ 508 Waughtown Street, 27107
South Fork Community Center @ 4403 Country Club
Road, 27104
Rupert Bell Community Center @1501 Mt. Zion Place,
27101
East Ward Town Hall Meeting at New Jerusalem
Baptist Church @1212 North Dunleith Avenue, 27101
Robinhood Road YMCA, 27106
Miller Park Community Center @ 400 Leisure Lane,
WS 27103
Pate
May 6
May 7
May 8
May 11 & 12
May 13
May 14
May 19
May 19
Time
9-1 lam and 5-7pm
1 la ? lp
12:30-2:30p
4-7pm (both days)
4-6:30pm
6:00 pm
2-5pm
6:30-7:30pm
Brown & Douglas Neighborhood Center @ 4725
Indiana Avenue, 27106
Carl Russell Community Center @ Carver School Road,
27105
International Boys & Girls Club @ 2850 New
Walkertown Road, 27105
Sprague Street Community Center @ 1350 E. Sprague
Street, 27107
MLK Community Center @ 2001 Pittsburg Avenue,
27101
Hanes Hosiery Community Center on Akron Drive,
27105
Alders Point ? on Mock Street, 27127
May 20
May 21
May 22
May 26
May 27
May 28
May 29
4-6:00pm
4-7:00pm
11:00a - 1:00p
4-7 pm
3-6 pm
10a ? 12pm
1 -4pm
WR Anderson Community Center @ 2450 Reynolds
Park Road, 27107
14th Street Community Center @ 2020 E. 14th Street
27101
Forsyth Tech West Campus @1300 Bolton Street,
27103
Gateway YWCA 1300 South Main Street 27127
Reynolda Branch Library
Clark Campbell Transportation Center
?7~f - 1
?
June 1
June 2
June 3
June 4
June 5
June 8
5-7pm
5-7pm
10:00 - 12:00pm
3-5:00 pm
11:00-3:0Qpm
2-6pm
12-4pm