IPic /AeJieMh Meimld
October 11, 2017
Little Black Ring Sightings
Tishya Robertson, Staff Writer
The Meredith onyx has linked
Meredith Angels far and wide since
the Class of 1954 first slipped
it on their fingers. The Class of
2019 will slip on their rings this
Friday at Raleigh Marriott City
Center, beginning a lifetime full of
chance encounters, networking
opportunities, and more. Here are
just a few stories from current and
former students.
“I was at a cast party the winter
before my Freshman year. I saw
this gal who I didn't know mingling
with some of my castmates, and
when she gestured, I noticed the
Onyx on her finger. I blurted out
“are you going to Meredith?” Turns
out, she was an alumna, and we
exchanged information so she
could put me in touch with some of
her professors. As we messaged
back and forth, we realized we had
a lot more in common than just
Meredith, and became fast friends.
She was one of the first people I
saw when I finally got my Onyx,
and we realized that hers was the
whole reason we’d been friends for
three yearsi”
-Ann Cox, '18
“I’ve met so many Meredith
alumnae by seeing their rings
- while shopping, at the dry
cleaner’s, doctors’ offices, even at
an out of state rest area - always
followed by the question, “Are you
a Meredith grad?” That is always
followed by a big smile, a yes,
and questions about what year we
graduated, majors, and a long list
of favorite professors. It’s always
the same and it never gets old.
The Meredith onyx ring is more
than just a lovely piece of jewelry;
it leads us to friends we haven’t
met yet and connects us to our
memories of that special place on
Hillsborough Street.”
-Marva Watkins, ‘86
“I currently work for supply chain
corporate offices for a roofing
supply distribution company, which
is heavily male-dominated. I’ve
been blessed with opportunities to
travel with this job, and I seem to
always have somebody recognize
my onyx ring. Whether I’m here
in the Goldsboro office or in
Wilmington or Savannah, at least
one male co-worker will come up
to me and say, “Heyl My sister/
girlfriend/wife/best friend/etc went
to Meredith!” And that is usually
paired with “Are you an even
or an odd?” And/or “Did you do
Cornhuskin?” This has allowed me
to have many wonderful icebreaker
conversations with my male peers,
as they are genuinely interested to
hear about my old glory days back
in Wonderland, It still pleasantly
surprises me to this day just how
recognizable our rings are. It’s a
nice reminder that I'm still a part of
the sisterhood, no matter where I
am.”
-Brooke Mayo, ‘16
“I was on a tour bus in Ireland
with Tia Joyce in the summer of
2015. We were riding from Dublin
out to the Cliffs of Moher, when
we noticed that the lady seated
in front of us had an onyx. When
Tia showed the lady her onyx, she
told us that she graduated in 2011
and was an au pair in Paris. I took
a couple of onyx pictures for Tia
at the Cliffs of Moher with our new
friend :)”
-Katie Murphy, ‘18
“Once, I was driving on an
interstate in Illinois with friends
and saw a car with both Meredith
College and University of Illinois
decals on it. I whooped and asked
the friend who was driving the
car in which I was a passenger
to speed up. We did and pulled
alongside the car with decals of
Photo Courtesy of
Ann Cox.
both of my alma maters. I started
enthusiastically pointing to my
Meredith ring, which mystified the
male drive of the other car. But
the woman beside him started
bouncing up and down, pointing to
her ring. We signaled to each other
to pull over at the next exit, and
we had an impromptu alumnae
meeting right there on the prairie.”
-Dr. Jean Jackson, ‘75
Read more onyx stories on
the Herald’s website: https://
meredithherald.wordpress.com/.
What to Expect at This Year's State Fair
Ashely Ricks, Staff Writer
Imagine walking around the
fairgrounds with the crisp, cold, fall
air whipping your face, screams
and laughter all around, and the
amazing waft of fair food cooking
everywhere. This is what the
North Carolina State Fair is like.
The North Carolina State Fair is
coming to Raleigh on Oct. 12 and
staying through Oct. 22. This fun
event offers a variety of attractions,
including daring rides, intriguing
food, fascinating exhibits, loud
tractor pulls, and adorable best in
show animals.
This year the North Carolina
State Fair is celebrating their 150th
anniversary with an abundance of
new food being offered. As usual,
there are many new deep fried
options added to the menu this
year, but in addition to fried foods.
there are many other unusual, yet
delicious sounding foods available
for the first time.
Some of the new deep fried
foods include: pumpkin pie,
bacon and cheese collard bites,
chocolate pie, apple pie, dirty rice,
and crab cake cheese curds, and
Cheerwine funnel cake. One of the
most intriguing fried foods is the
new B.A.D. Chix, which is eggs,
bacon, and cheese layered on top
of a chicken strip, all wrapped in
a hot cake, and then topped with
maple syrup. Some new foods
that are not fried include bacon
mac & cheese, bacon wrapped
scallops. Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
roasted corn, Cheerwine cake,
and Thanksgiving egg rolls. A new
funnel cake, the Blue Hawaiian
Funnel Cake, takes on a Hawaiian
twist, consisting of a
brown sugar funnel
cake topped with
pineapple, praline,
whipped cream, and
cherries.Admission
to the fair is $10 at
the gate, but tickets
bought online by Cct.
12 are $10. Buying
advanced tickets
online can also
save $8 per sheet
of tickets. A sheet
of tickets consists
of 18 individual
tickets, but keep in mind that most
rides take 5 to 6 tickets. There is
an option to buy an unlimited ride
wristband, which costs $25 now
until Cct. 12, but it is $35 after the
12. Cn Cct. 13, the fair is offering
Photo Courtesy of the North Carolina State Fair.
students who have a valid student
ID a reduced admission rate of
$5. Admission and ride tickets can
be bought online at the NC State
Fair’s website: www.ncstatefair.
org.
NC Pride 2017
Caroline Garrett, Staff Writer
Cn Friday, September 30, the
Triangle area held its 33rd annual
Pride Day celebrating the LGBTC-r-
population in North Carolina.
Both Durham and Downtown
Raleigh hosted street festivals in
the afternoon and evening, and
local clubs continued the party
into the early morning. The day
began on Harrington street for
Raleigh attendees and Rigsbee
Avenue for those in Durham,
with booths featuring food, fun,
games, raffles, local vendors,
and of course, many varieties of
LGBTQ-r pride flags everywhere.
Advocacy organizations promoted
sexual health and inclusivity for
LGBTQ-h people as well as allies.
As the evening continued, music
started to play, and the dancing
and drag shows began. For many
attendees, though, the most
special part of the day was not
the fried food, free sexual health
materials, or live performances,but
the sense of acceptance, open-
mindedness, and community. A
Meredith sophomore who wishes
to remain anonymous, said “It was
super fun to see people expressing
themselves in all different kinds of
ways...[from] glitter to fake wings.
and it was nice to see people
being unapologetically proud of
who they are.” If you missed this
year’s Pride Festival, every spring,
Raleigh has a second LGBTC-i-
festival called CutIRaleIgh,
and you can also check out
the LGBT Center of Raleigh for
more events in the area and
Spectrum at Meredith for LGBTC-i-
representation on campus.