Gaines Reaches 500
.M—'4.. -
Coach C. E. (Bighouse) Gaines responds as he receives plaque from Chancellor
K. R. Williams upon his 500th Basketball Win. Mrs. Gaines looks on.
VOL. XI, NO. V
WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY
FEBRUARY, 1973
Gwendolyn Brooks fo Speak
GWENDOLYN BROOKS
Gwendolyn Brooks, poet laureate of
Illinois and a Pulitzer Prize winning
poet, will appear on the WSSU campus
February 14.
She will be speaking from one of four
suggested topics. The suggested topics
are Sources of Poetry-reading with com
mentary; Poetry or Life-reading with'
commentary; Black Literature; The New
Blacks: Poetry.
Miss Brooks is one of the most talented
Black poets that the twentieth century
has produced. Her writings chiefly deal
with the sufferings, potent emotions, and
extremely trying experiences of her peo
ple. She has been quoted as having said,
“Many people are putting away the
things, that are of life . . . such as com
passion, love, wisps of detail and rumi
nation.” Miss Brooks has done this
for one dozen books of selected poetry
that has been centered around the Black
man and his oppression.
Although she has spent the greater por
tion of her life in Chicago, she was born
in Topeka, Kansas. She was educated
in the Chicago school system and grad
uated from Wilson Junior College. Miss
Brooks has authored the following books:
"A Street in Bronzeville,” “Annie Allen,"
“Maud Martha,” (a novel), “Bronzeville
Boys and Girls” (a book of children's
verse, “The Bean Eaters,” “Selected
Poems” (a book length poem), “In the
Mecca,” “Family Pictures” and “Jump
Bad” (a collection of new Chicago Writ
ings.
Miss Brooks has received many
awards during her outstanding career.
Many of her awards are honorary doc
torates, which includes the Doctor of Hu
mane Letters from Columbia University,
Doctor of Letters from Lake Forest Col
lege, Doctor of Letters from Elmhurst
College, Illinois Institute of Technology
and Lewis College.
Skidmore, Loyola University, Munde
lein University, Northwestern University,
Southern Illinois University, Western Illi
nois University and DePaul University
are among the list of honorary doctor
ates also.
The poet laureate of Illinois has won
the following awards for her writing:
four Midwestern Writers’ Conference
“First Prizes” in Poetry listings, Among
Mademoiselle’s Ten Women of the World
(1945), Two Guggenheim Fellowships,
the Illinois Susquitennial Literary
Award, Poetry Magazine’s Eunice Tiet-
jen’s Memorial Award, Friends of Litera
ture Poetry Award and the Thurmond
Monsen Award for Literature.
Coach Clarence E. (Bighouse) Gaines
recently received honors for having gain
ed the 500th win of his basketball coach
ing career at Winston-Salem State Uni
versity.
The victory came against North Caro
lina Central University in which the
Rams scored 65 to Central’s 61. A crow4
of less than 1,000 witnessed the feat in
Whitaker Gymnasium. The sparce crowd
is attributed to the fact that many stu
dents had not returned from the Christ
mas holidays.
University Chancellor, Dr. Kenneth R.
Williams, presented a plaque to Coach
Gaines with the accompanying words:
Other awards for writings are: the
Patron Saints Award, Northeastern Illi
nois University Distinguished Lecture
ship Award, the Pulitzer Prize in 1950
and her appointment as Poet Laureate
of Illinois by the Governor in 1968.
Many organizations have honored Miss
Brooks for her distinguished service to
her community and fellowman by found
ing two libraries which bear her name
and through the dedication of the books.
The World of GwendoljTi Brooks and To
Gwen With Love.
Miss Brooks toured Africa during the
summer of 1971 and is the editor of her
own magazine, The Black Position,
which contains assays by noted persons.
The poetess is currently working on her
autobiography.
All students are asked to attend this
lecture. It will be a rewarding experi
ence and one the student will not forget
for years to come.
On Thursday morning Miss Brooks
will meet with English majors, faculty
members of the English department and
other interested persons.
Black History Week —
Its Origin And Cleaning
Carter Goodwin Woodson, the second
Black in the United States to become
a trained historian, conceived the idea of
Blaclc History Week (Negro History
Week) in February of 1926. The father
of Scientific Black (Negro) History, he
was the director of the association for
the study of Negro Life and History.
Since its organization in September 1915,
the Association for the study of Negro
Life and History has taken a leading
educational role in better acquainting all
“This plaque is from the Winston-Salem
State family in recognition of the vic
tory. And, Coach Gaines, I want to
thank you for all you have done as
coach, counselor, and being an all-
around good man.”
Mrs. Gaines was on hand for the oc-
cassion. The coach credited her with
being his coach, boss, and captain, and
he thanked her for putting up with him.
Of the game which gave him his 500th
win, Gaines said: “It wasn’t a great
game. But it was a win and I’ll take any
I can get. Five hundred victories prove
. . . that you’ve been around a long time.
It’s a good feeling to have 500.”
This 500th win places Coach Gaines in
a class of exceptional men. The only
other active college basketball coach
with 500 wins is John W'ooden of UCLA.
Gaines’ record thus far has been 500
wins and 208 losses out of a total of 708
contests at W'inston-Salem State. He has
won five regular season CIAA champion
ships, seven CIAA Tournament champ
ionships, and one National Collegiate As
sociation Tournament.
Americans with the magnificent history
of Black people.
Dr. Woodson proposed that there be
set aside each year, since 1926, a certain
week during which attention is focused
upon the Black man and his historical
background, and stimulation be given
to the general improvement of human
relations. The major objective of the ob
servance is to help us to appreciate the
important part which the Black man has
played in the cultural heritage of the
nation. This observance is celebrated an
nually in mid-February in the week
which includes the birthdays of the great
Black leader Frederick Douglass and
Abraham Lincoln.
Black History W’eek offers a looking
glass which reflects a panorama of the
Black man’s achievements and contri
butions. Through the years the Black
man’s plight has not been all roses, but
still it is one which is experienced by all,
sooner or later. It seeks to moralize
the Black man — his growths, his learn
ings, and his attainments. The comem-
oration during this week is important in
that it encompasses the spiritual, the in
tellectual. the aesthetic, the social, the
creative and the physical contribution of
the Black man as an integral partner in
the democratic society and as an effect
ive citizen.
Research into the history of the Black
race and a proper recording, dissemina
tion, and teaching of this history is
necessary in order that the Negro may
have the benefits of his fine traditions
and heritage. He has, for many genera
tions. made substantial contributions to
human progress in the fields of economic
development, science, music, literature,
law and many others.
Man's pride in his very being stems
from his knowledge of the heritage from
which he springs, from those contribu
tions made by those of his racial, relig
ious, or nationality groups for the benefit
of all men for a better life, for extended
liberty, for rewarding pursuit of happi
ness.
(Continued on Pajre Two)