>^ay, May 1,1990
THE COMPASS
FEATURES
Page 3
Everyone's sweet on:
TTte
Photm by Kktwrd Mc1dUt«
Ccindy OvCan
By Becky Overton
When “The Candy Man”
walks across the cam
pus, he’s easily spotted.
“Hey Candy Man, got any Snickers?”
“Hey Candy Man, got any watermelon
Blowpops?”
The Candy Man, being the courte
ous person that he is, and a man of
strong business instincts, never walks
away from a sale. If you see a crowd
anywhere at ECSU you can bet your
money that “The Candy Man” is
somewhere in the middle.
Chauncey Strong, better known as
“The Candy Man” is a 20-year old
junior from Newark, New Jersey,
whose venture into the candy busi
ness was just a stroke of luck.
It began on Halloween of 1988
after Chauncey’s mother sent him a
bag of candy.
“Icouldn’tfigureoutwhy she sent
me so much candy,” he recalls. “I
don’teatthat much and when I do it’s
just peppermint. In fact that’s what
I’m eating right now.
“I was sitting in the University
Center with all of that candy. Some
one asked me for a piece. Jokingly I
said, ‘Sure, I’ll sell it to you.’ ”
"When I called my Mom I told her
I had sold her candy and I asked her
was she upset. She said, ‘No, it’s good
that you made some money.’ ”
What started out as a joke tumed
out to be a profitable business for
“The Candy Man.” On the average he
makes a little over $100 per week.
“I like selling candy; it gives me a
sense of independence,” he says.
“Anyone can make extra money; it’s
out there and all you have to do is earn
it. I use some of the money to help pay
my tuition. I save the rest or use it to
buy myself clothes, food for my room
or just any little thing I might want.”
Chauncey doesn’t worry about
anyone taking over his business.
“A few people started selling candy
on campus,” he says, “but it didn’t last
“I like selling
candy; it gives me a
sense of independence.
Anyone can make extra
money; it's out there
and all you have to do
is earn it.’'
Chauncey Strong
long. See, in this business it takes a lot
of time and dedication.”
Nor does he spend all of his time
being “The Candy Man.”
“I have to set up a schedule be
cause I can’t let the candy get in the
way of my books,” he said.
Chauncey also works in the library
because he likes helping people.
Despite his entrepreneurial success,
the Candy Man doesn’t think he’ll
choose business as a career. A sociol
ogy major, he wants to do something
“to help with children and families
with problems.”
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and
Fridays he sells to the students; on
Tuesdays and Thursdays he sells in
the Administration Building.
“Administration is real supportive,”
he says. “They like to see students
helping themselves. When they see
me coming, they're just like the stu
dents, they’re glad to see me. They
say, ‘Here comes the candy man.’ ”
Chauncey said administrators fa
vor Snickers and Kit Kats and small
cherry candies. The campus-wide
favorite is chocolate, with blowpops
running second.
The majority of his customers are
women.
“I try to sell to more girls” he says.
“But I only go to the girl’s dorms if
someone asks me to.”
Chauncey admits that everything
is not always so “sweet” in the candy
business, especially when people come
by the room at all hours of the night to
buy candy.
“No matter what time of the year it
is ‘The Candy Man’ is sure to be out
there— well, that’s what most people
think!” he says.
“Next semester I might not be sell
ing because I have to do my intern
ship.”
That definitely would be a front
page story.
Taking a look at “The Candy Man”
should demonstrate that all it takes is
a great idea and lots of dedication—
and the money is yours.
'Serve the Lord by helping others'
declares evangelist Shirley Caesar
By Trina Coleman
Evangelist Shirley Caesar be
lieves in the power of faith to
solve the problems of the
world.
And she backs up this belief with
action.
“I don’t want to hear that you love
the Lord but don’t want to help
people,” said the gospel singer, dur
ing an interview following her Sun
day March 25, 1990 performance at
ECSU.
I “We cannot sit back and send
I people to hell with liptalk. We have to
I meet the needs of our young people,
i They are tomorrow’s presidents, law-
; yers, doctors, chemists and nurses.”
Caesar said that today’s young
people need to hear songs about the
dangers of drug addiction.
“We have been singing to them
about Jesus for years, so now we need
to tell them if you use dope, you have
got to be a dope. Somehow we need to
get the message over to them about
drugs like crack. People are dying.
“Black life expectancy is shorter
than any other ethnic group. I’m not
out to say what’s sin and what isn’t. I
justwantto see right win overwrong.”
In addition to her musical and evan
gelical tours, Caesar gets her message
across through her own radio program
in her native Durham. She sponsors an
“Outreach Ministry” with a conven
tion each summer at the Omni Hotel in
Durham.
She said she puts 50% of her in-
k
Six-time Grammy winner, gospel recording artist .
I^ackstage before performing in Vaughan Center Ma^rch 25th. Caesar s
'^spirational performance was part of WRVS’ birthday celebration.
come “back in the community, help
ing people with rent, fuel and food
bills.
“That’s what’s serving the Lord is
all about,” she said.
Caesar, a nationally acclaimed
singer and evangelist, has won six
Grammies;hermost successful album.
Hold My Mule has sold over a million
copies.
Caesar said she comes from a
“singing background.”
“My father was a great gospel
singer, and my father’s brothers and
sisters were ^so. I felt my father’s
mantle fall on me, both in singing and
my ministry.”
Caesar began touring when she
“about sixteen or seventeen” as “Baby
Shirley Caesar.” And she recalls vis
iting Elizabeth City, Rocky Mount,
and many other areas in Eastern North
Carolina.
“I’m no stranger to this place,” she
said.
Caesar said she likes a lot of differ
ent kinds of music, including contem
porary gospel. She added, however,
that she believes contemporary gos
pel should feature “a little more in
struments.” ’
“Rap is all right as long as you can
hear the message,” she said, “and they
don’t get so mixed up in the beat. The
message should be the uppermost.
When asked how she felt about
performers like the Winans and A1
Green who “crossed over,” she re
plied, “I am a gospel singer. I can’tput
anybody down for what they do.”
Caesar’s work brings her into
contact with many stars, including
Michael Jackson, who she recalls
asked her to sing a song with him
immediately following the San Fran
cisco earthQuake in October. Jackson
had “his people contact her,” said
Caesar aftpr he saw and heard her
singing on T.V.
“Michael is one of the finest young
men I’ve come across in my life,” she
said.
In her performance at ECSU, Cae
sar was accompanied by her sister,
Anne Caesar Price and friend. May
Newton.
Her songs included, “ Jesus, I Love
Calling Your Name,” “I Remember
Mama,” and her hit, “Hold My Mule.
He doesn’t look like Sammy Davis, Jr., but ECSU student Chauncey Strong is still considered the ‘Candy
Man.’ strong says his sweet little business can gross about $100 a week. “I prayed for some means of
finance,” says the social work major whose goal in life is to help others. Strong said he is grateful to both his
mom and his customers for his success.
Murfreesboro native overcomes
today's odds against black actors
By Kimberley Robinson
I It’s a long way from the quiet
streets of Murfreeesboro, North
Carolina to the fast-paced
world of national movies and t.v.
shows; however, veteran actor Her
bert Eley has traveled the distance.
“Acting is the hardest easiest thing
I have ever done,” says the tall, hand
some HerbertEley, a 1985 CumLaude
graduate of North CaroUna Central
University.
Eley, who now lives in Durham,
has performed in the ABC series A
Man Called Hawk, and many nation
ally broadcasted programs, including.
Under Fire: Mississippi Freedom
Summer, Mothers Day, Weeds,The
White Girl, Terror on Highway 91
and Black Rainbow.
His sister, Ann Riddick, is a senior
at ECSU.
While studying at NCCU, Eley
received many awards, including Best
New Talent and performer of the year.
He was a runner-up in the 1980 com
petition of the Southeastern Regional
American College Theatre Festival
Eley, who has toured North Caro
lina in ie production of Paul Robe
son, brought part of the show to ECSU
during Black History Month, with
guest appearances in the Little Thea
ter.
Although he has achieved national
status as an actor, Eley i»inted out
that “it’s tough to break into acting
these days,” especially for black ac
tors.
“It’s harder for minorities because
there are less opportunities,” he said.
“And people who have already made
it don’t often give other minorities
chances. If you don’t acquire a certain
amount of acclaim, you are not even
given a chance.”
To illustrate this point, he said he
wrote Arsenio Hall, seeking to be on
his show.
“Arsenio wrote me back and said
he only had big name stars on his
show,” said Ely, “And top ten artists.”
“I had done about four movies and
I was doing pretty good when 1 wrote
him, asking to be on his show. But you
still aren’t given a chance, unless you
acquire a certain acclaim, a certain
status.”
Eley said he perceives some stere
otyping on the part of some black
stars.
“In Spike Lee’s School Daze you
never saw anyone in class,” he said.
Herbert Eley in the role of Paul
Robeson at ECSU’s Little Theater
during Black History Month.
“Also the language was very stere
otypical.”
He said he would like to see more
real people portrayed among blacks,
in national shows.
“I’m not sure the average black
person can really relate to the Bill
Cosby show,” he said. ’’Maybe a
middle class white family can relate to
them, though.”
Eley had high praise for Cosby,
however, saying “he is just doing what
he has to be a success.”
Despite the hardships of breaking
into acting, Eley said there are many
rewards to his field.
“The pay is good. It’s hard to beat,
and insurance is good. And the Screen
Actors Guild takes good care of you.
if you qualify. Once you join, they still
pay you a s^ary. That’s how a lot of
big name stars who make it at one
time, and then stop, can still go on—
because of the Actors Guild.”
Before he broke into acting, Eley
served in the Army, and worked in a
factory and in a prison camp as a
corrections officer. He then decided
to attend college.
“Once I entered N.C. Central, I
found I did well in English and theater
courses so I decided to major in
drama,” he said.
Eley said he was lucky in that one
of his drama teachers gave him the
phone number of an agent.
“You have to have an agent to
break in,” he said. “An agent gets you
started.”
His advice to aspiring young ac
tors:
“Have a thick skin. You are going
to face a lot of rejection. Hopes will be
built up high and then they will fall.
You must have faith in yourself.”
Eley also stressed the imp)ortance
of education “and a feeling of self-
worth.” He added, “Stay off of drugs
and live a clean life.”
Eley said his most exciting mo
ment came when he got his first job in
a motion picture: Terror on the High
way.
“That was my most exciting
moment,” he said, “because I had been
waiting so long to break into acting.”
Although his career has brought
him into contact with many big name
stars, Eley said he most admires his
father, “because he has always been
there for me.
“And as I grow older, we get closer,
because we talk more.”
And although his acting career has
taken him to the big cities, Eley’s
plans suggest he has not forgotten his
North Carolina roots:
“My long term plans are to make
films, become a producer, and pro
duce films in North Carolina,” Eley
said.