ITte ^{e'ws ^rm
VOL. 8
WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTH CAROLINA
MAY 1989
Bennett to Speak
at Commencement
PRESS RELEASE
Dr. Lerone Bennett, Jr., executive
editor of Ehonv magazine, will deliver
the keynote address for the 97th com
mencement exercises of Winston-
Salem State University. Approximate
ly 300 candidates will receive bache
lor's degrees during the ceremony at
10 a.m. Saturday, May 6, at the Win-
ston-Salem Memorial Coliseum.
Dr. Bermett is a writer, journalist,
editor and historian of international
renown. A graduate of Atlanta's
Morehouse College, he has been
awarded 15 honorary degrees. He
began his career as a reporter for the
Atlanta Daily World and advanced to
city editor within three years. He
joined Johnson Publishing Company
in 1953 as associate editor of JET
magazine. Through the years he has
served as associate editor and senior
editor of Ehonv. a visiting professor
of history at Northwestern University
and a senior fellow of the Institute of
the Black World.
A native of Qarksdale, Mississip
pi, Dr. Bennett's work and interests
have carried him across the United
States and to Europe and Africa. He
has written several books including
Before the Mayflower: A History of
the Negro in America: The Negro
Mood: What Manner of Man: A
Biography of Martin Luther King.
Jr.: Shaping of Black America: and
The Human side of Reconstruction.
His books and short stories have been
translated into six languages.
Dr. Bennett is a member of Phi
Beta Kappa, Sigma Delta Chi and
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. An
active civic and business leader, he
sits on the Board of Trustees of More
house College, the Martin Luther
King, Jr. Memorial Center and the
Chicago Public Television station. He
is a member of the Board of Directors
of the Institute of the Black World,
Abraham Lincoln Community Center,
National Black United Fund and
Chicago Black United Fund. He has
served as an advisor and consultant to
several national organizations and
Russell-McCloud Speaks at Award Banquet
Lerone Bennett,
Senior Ebony Editor
commissions, including The National
Advisory Commission on Civil Disor
ders.
Dr. Bennett's accomplishments
have earned him numerous honors
and awards. Among them are the Out
standing Magazine Writing Award
(1956) from the Windy City Press
Club, the Journalism Achievement
Award (1963) from the Capital Press
Club, the Patron Saints Award (1964)
from the Society of Midland Authors
for What Manner of Man and the Lit
erature Award (1978) from the Ameri
can Academy of Arts and Letters. He
is listed in Who's Who in America.
Who's Who Among Black Americans.
Black Historians. The Black Press.
U.S.A.. l.QQO Successful Blacks and
Daring Black Leaders.
Other commencement weekend
activities include:
• Pinning Ceremony for Nursing
and Allied Health- Friday, May 5,
8p.m. Kenneth R. Williams Auditori
um
• Alumni Board of Directors
Meeting- Saturday, May 6, l-3p.m.
Rm. 228, Hall-Patterson Comm. Bldg.
• Alumni Association General
Membership Meeting- Saturday, May
6, 3-5 p.m. Rm. 228, Hall- Patterson
Comm. Bldg.
• Alumni Dinner- Saturday, May
6, 6-8 p.m. Anderson Center (Tick-
ets-$12)
By Joyce McMillan
SPORTS EDITOR
Arousing, exhilarating, intoxicating
and motivating are words that describe
the speech delivered at the Student
Awards Banquet held on April 25th.
Attorney Patricia Russell-McCloud,
the guest speaker, captivated the audience
of about 300 people. The moment she
began to speak she held them spellbound
until she finished her talk.
Her speech, entitled, "There is room
at the top, but there's limited space,
R.S.V.P.," was very inspirational.
She spoke about some of her experi
ences and urged each of the members of
the audience to know who they are fol
lowing.
"The importance of knowing who
you are following is so you can know
where you are going," she explained.
McCarter Wins
Teaching Award
By EuGenia C. Williamson
STAFF WRITER
Dr. Merdis McCarter originally from
Homer, Louisiana will succeed Dr.
Elwanda Ingram as the 1989 winner of
the Wachovia Excellence in Teaching
Award.
She received a bachelors degree from
Southern University in Atlanta, Georgia,
and a doctor of education degree from
University of North Carolina at Greens
boro.
Each academic department nominates
an instructor whom they feel exemplifies
excellence. These names are given to a
committee where they are judged on areas
of teaching effectiveness, research and
scholarly activities and departmental uni
versity and community service.
Dr. McCarter has had the desire to
teach since elementary school. When she
reached the college levels and witnessed
how the instructors teaching habits were
so weak, her desire to teach was affirmed.
Even though the teachers had the knowl
edge of the subject, they did not provide
the students with the necessary funda
mentals. She felt that there must be a bet
ter, yet effective way to do it.
"Students at WSSU helped me to do
that," she revealed. "Math was sort of like
a part of language." McCarter wanted her
students to feel relaxed with mathematics
and not to be afraid of it but to enjoy it. "I
"Often times we involve ourselves in
someone else's business (be it voluntary
or involuntary) get caught up in someone
else's affairs and neglect our own."
"There's no business like your busi
ness and that's the bottom line", she stat
ed.
At the completion of her speech she
received a standing ovation from the audi
ence.
Following the speech, several awards
were presented by outgoing SGA Presi
dent John Rankins alias "Cleon 111." He
presented awards to those individuals he
felt went beyond the call of duty in per
forming their jobs. He was assisted by
Miss WSSU, Veronica Howard. After the
awards presentation portion of the pro
gram, Chancellor Cleon Thompson spoke
to the students who had received awards
for leadership and service in campus
organizations or activities.
Photo by Tuttle
Dr. Merdis McCarter
try to make complex concepts simple."
She came to WSSU in 1968 after
serving at North Carolina Central Univer
sity for two and a half years teaching
lower-level math. She wanted to do some
thing that was more challenging and
WSSU gave her that opportunity by
allowing her to leach at higher levels and
develop other courses.
McCarter has a philosophy of life
and teaching. "Each person who is given
some talent has a responsibility to share
that talent in constructive and creative
ways with others," she said. "When it
comes to teaching, I try to create a learn
ing setting in which students feel comfort
able about themselves and about mathe
matics."