RayJExposed Krystle Lee presents, Pagent of Queens” 3 welcome to. Shi-town 5 Voirrj^ No 2 December 2005 Elizabeth City, North Carolina Rosa Parks laid to rest in Detroit Thousands attend funeral service By T’sha Wilson Staff Writer Thousands turned out to moum the death of the civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at Greater Grace Temple Church in Detroit Michigan. Many gathered early that morning to honor Parks hours before the service began, to get one of the 2,000 seats. More than 36 people spoke of Parks’ heroic act in Montgomery, Alabama, when she refused to give up her seat to a white man on a city bus in 1955. The city of Detroit paused in remembrance of Parks on Wednesday. Members of congress and national civil rights activists also attended Parks’ service. “You ought to make one commitment in her name to yourself. You ought to resolve that you are going to do something that makes a difference, because we’re here because she made a difference,” said the Reverend A1 Sharpton, head of the National Action Network. At the age of 42, Parks worked at a Montgomery department store as a tailor’s assistant. She paid $ 14 in court costs for her act. Her refusal to give up her seat triggered the boycott of the Montgomery bus system led by Martin See PARKS on Page 2 Johnson Hall to open in January ■ By Derrick Bozkurt Staff Writer Dr. Gale Isaacs, LLC department chair, tours Johnson Hall. Johnson Hall, one of the oldest structures on ECSU’s campus, has undergone a massive renovation cfver the past year. More than just being remodeled for simple aesthetic tastes, Johnson Hall’s series of renovations are sure to increase the functional and educational capacity of the entire Language, Literature, and Communication departments, as well as the Honors department. With its already rich history, E.A. Johnson Hall is poised to catapult the LLC and honors departments to even greater heights. Unbeknownst to most students, Johnson Hall was actually erected in honor of Evelyn Adelaide Johnson in 1972. Evelyn Adelaide Johnson was the university’s choir director nearly 40 years ago. Besides her long tenure of service and involvement at ECSU, she also wrote “A History of ECSU,” which was a factor in her being recognized with the construction of E.A. Johnson Hall. Ever since, the facility has served as the home of the LLC and Honors departments. In 2001, a planning committee was assembled to assess the university’s building needs and draft plans for the remodeling halls, including Johnson Hall. The decision to remodel Johnson Hall was brought on by various factors including, heating and cooling problems, poor acoustics, and the age of the facility. Through grants, ECSU received a $46 million bond referendum to help with renovations and new constructions, some of which were necessitated by the university’s projected enrollment increase over the next three years. Work began on Johnson Hall in October of2004, and has been progressing full steam ahead, and is expected to be ready for faculty to begin moving in December. The project manager for the renovation, Clayton Peele, was once an ECSU student himself. He says he is excited to see “Back in 1973, we were proud of this building, and now we are ripping it all out,” he said with a smile. Peele says that the building will most likely make its Continued on page 2 ECSU studentdies in auto accident By Tominka Minter The Viking family lost one of our students on Friday, October 28, 2005. Michael Erik Veilleux, 34, a Business Administration student, died of injuries due to a traffic accident. According to authorities, it appeared Veilleux was traveling at an unsafe speed around a curve and lost control of his vehicle. Veilleux, who was traveling by himself, appeared to have been ejected from his vehicle, which rolled approximately 500 feet before stopping. Authorities reported that the vehicle that Veilleux was driving was damaged so badly that the vehicle could not be identified. Friends and family left words of condolescence on the mortuary’s Web page dedicated to Michael. ECSU Professor Dr. Noble wrote, “Michael was a student in our Environmental Science class this fall at ECSU. When the class heard of Mike’s death, we were all shocked and very sad. Mike was a great student and contributed a lot to our class. Our love and prayers go out to his family and friends. Keep happy memories close to your hearts.” Michael was a loyal person who always tried to help others.Survivors of Veilleux family included wife Dana Wood-Veilleux and two daughters AUycia-Lynn Daisy Veilleux and Chelsie Elizabeth Veilleux. A memorial service was held Tuesday, November 1, at Swindell Funeral and Cremation Services from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Evelyn Johnson Conununity Singers to perform Handel’s Messiah at local churches Choir named for ECSU music director and author By Fae Deaton Staff Writer Evelyn Johnson Community Singers will perform Handel’s “Messiah” at Olive Branch Missionary Baptist Church, 510 Brooks St., in Elizabeth City, at 7:00 p.m. on December 18 and at Winton Community Historic School, at 7:00 p.m. on December 14. Evelyn Johnson is a household word on the campus of ECSU. The late Dr. Evelyn Adelaide Johnson is the former director of choral activities, and the first retired professor emeritus at ECSU. She passed away on Monday, July 10, 1995, at. the age of 85. Johnson Hall is named for her, as is this musical choir. The Evelyn Johnson Community Singers. Dr. Johnson came to ECSU in 1933, when it was still a Normal School, the term used for a teacher preparation school in early years all over the United States. She became music instructor and her titles moved forward from music instructor, 1933-35; director of music, 1936-40; chairman of Fine Arts department, 1958-61; to chairman of the Music department, 1961- 65. She served as director of Choral Activities from 1933-75. Johnson is the author of “History of Elizabeth City State University: A Story of Survival,”and she created the traditional activities of the ECSU campus choir tours, choir banquets honoring graduating seniors, and choir Christmas caroling; she also organized the Lyceum Series, purchased the first concert Grand Piano, and integrated the Music Educators National Conference along with Dr. Warner Lawson, Howard University; Mr. Frederick Hall, Alabama State College; and Mr. John J. Ballou, Hampton University, in St. Louis, MO(1944). Along with that, Johnson accepted the advisor ship of the “Be Natural Club,” (which was started by Dr. Jesse Welch), a club which raised money to place the first marker on a lamp post on the front campus that read “State Normal School,” and in 1972 she raised $20,000 for the European choir tour, and raised $12,000 in 1975 to take the choir to the Grand Bahama Island upon an invitation from the United States Embassy in Nassau, Bahamas. When she retired from Elizabeth City State University in 1975, she was named the first professor emeritus by the ECSU Board of Trustees. Dr. Johnson organized the Bicentennial Community Chorus for the dedication of the New Physical Education Facility, now named the Robert L. Vaughan Physical Education Center. The group re-named themselves, “The Evelyn Johnson Community Singers” and this group has continued to perform around the area every year, except two years ago when a number of the performers were ill. Johnson is also honored in several other ways: The Evelyn Johnson Alumni Chapter; The Evelyn A. Johnson African- American Festival; The Evelyn A. Johnson Hall (previously mentioned); Director Emeritus of Pasquotank County Arts Council; and Charter Member of the Music Club in Elizabeth City; awarded an honorary Doctorate degree in Music; Member of the National Association of University Women; Charter Member of ECSU Association of Retired Persons; Honorary Life Member of ECSU General Alumni Association; and Life Member of North Carolina Association of Music Educators. She was also very active in her church. Comer Stone Missionary Baptist Church. Professor Billie C. Hines, here for 30 years, is now the director of choral music in the School of Music and directs the Evelyn Johnson see SINGERS onpg3

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