Community N e ws B1
Cracking the big time in L.A.
Local grad
By YVETTE N. FREEMAN
Chronide Staff Writer
makes national TV debut
A recent college graduate from Win
ston-Salem is now somewhat of a celebri
ty, after appearing on a national late night
talk show.
Chris Brown just graduated from the
University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill about two weeks ago, with a major in
Journalism/Mass Communications, and
already he's making his mark in the enter
tainment industry.
On Friday, May 17, he appeared with
four other graduates from Michigan,
Alabama, Nebraska and UCLA, on Rick
Dees' "Into the Night" talk show as repre
sentatives of their schools. Brown was
chosen by Bill Massey, the vice chancellor
for university affairs at UNC-CH, for his
achievements at the university, after
Massey received a call from the producers
of the show, interested in doing a segment
on some recent college graduates.
This was not the first time the produc
ers had heard Brown's name; Just a few
months earlier, he had flown to L.A. for
an interview with KABC, which happened
to be on the same studio lot as other ABC
shows, such as General Hospital, Ameri
ca's Funniest Home Videos and Rick Dees'
"Into the Night." While he was there,
Brown got an opportunity to talk to the
producers of "Into the Night" and Rick
Dees himself, about possible job opportu
nities with the show, but at the time there
were no openings.
Chris now hopes that being a guest on
the show will lead to employment with the
late night talk show. . . Hopefully, going
out here again in this context will under
score my capacity in, I may only come
back for a week or I may get on," he says.
Chris hopes to break into the enter
tainment industry, and eventually become
a writer, particularly in comedy, but he
says right now he's just trying to get his
foot in the door. "I've been pursuing a
speech he made to the audience at his com
mencement and he says it came as a shock
to everyone, especially his mother. "Her
first reaction was disbelief," he said.
"Everybody's was. Everybody was like, ah
come on. Her first reaction was 'Why is
Chris up there telling that lie?'" He says
her second reaction was "'Why didn't you
ask me first."' But he added that she finally
"I think there's a voice in Holly
wood that's not being heard; and
so, I'm going to go for it. "
- Chris Brown
career in the entertainment industry, but for
starters in the television industry," he said.
But he added that even if he doesn't end up
with a job on the show, "It's really neat
because that's totally separate from my
correspondence with Rick Dees and the
show in the first place." in any case,
Brown says that "Rick Dees does know
who I am. I met him through the show.
I've written him . . . .He knows I'm a stu
dent trying to work for him."
Chris first found out that he'd be on
the show, Wednesday, May 8, when
Massey called him and asked if he would
be interested in being a guest on the show.
He had planned to surprise his family
before graduation, but he says he didn't
have time, so he surprised them during a .
calmed down and was very happy and
~ excited.
As for the future, Chris says if he
doesn't get a job with "Into the Night," he
has also interviewed for an advertising
position with NBC in New York, which he
hopes will come through. But, he says if
that doesn't materialize, he'll look else
where for a job in advertising or mass
communications, where he can "express
himself creatively."
Brown adds that "I think there's a
voice in Hollywood that's not being heard;
and so I'm going to go for it," although he
says he has no plans to become the next
Spike Lee.
Chris is the son of Richard and Car
olyn Rice of Pfafftown.
Jan Elliott Pritchett appointed
Executive Director of SPAC ?
SPAC (North Carolina Political Action Commit
tee for Effective Schools) announces the appointment
of it's Executive Director, Jan Elliot Pritchett. The
Executive Director oversees the daily operations of
SPAC, .which include legislative activities, communi
ty outreach and fundraising activities.
Pritchett is former vice president of the Student
Government Association and Student Congress
Chairman at Winston-Salem State University. He is a
1991 graduate of the university having obtained an
Honors Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.
Pritchett says that he is very pleased to have been
- appointed to this post by SPAC'sfounder and Gener
al Chairman, Vernon Robinson. "There are many
things that 1 hope to accomplish as SPACs Executive
Director", says Pritchett. "The educationaLsystem in
North Carolina is in a state of disarray and rather than
allow the status quo to perpetuate itself in inefficien
cy, a new system must be implemented. Too many
tax dollars are being wasted in education and it is
time for parents to be empowered with the privilege
to choose where their children will attend school."
SPAC will actively seek to increase it's member
ship through petitions, literature drops, and lectures
throughout the course of the summer. Robinson,
believes that the support of SPAC will increase dra
matically in the next few weeks now that key leaders
from the Republican Party and the Democratic Lead
ership Conference have deemed Schools of Choice to
be a viable alternative to the current educational sys
tem.
Robinson stated that he was very 10 ^ave
Elliot Pritchett on board and that hi $j^jmpce with
various campaigns would coincide $fl!n hiyduties as
the Executive Director of SPAC.
Robinson also acknowledged the fact that
Pritchett is coming on at a very exciting time for
SPAC in recognition that people from everywhere are
r
Jan Elliott Pritchett
jumping on the bandwagon.
SPAC was founded in May 1990 and has concen
trated on building support for six reform initiatives
for the public school system.
Areas of concentration include empowering par
ents with the option to choose where their children
attend school, teacher initiated alternative schools,
and low income opportunity scholarships.
Other related areas of concentration also include
restructuring public schools, empowering parents
through Senate Bill 2, offering alternative and part
time certification, and stopping the North Carolina
Board of Education from interfering with contracts as
done with Channel One.
Seawright gets
two BS degrees
Congratulations to Mark Miguell Seawright
who recently graduated from North Carolina
A&T State University.
Mark graduated from the School of Tech
nology and received two bachelor of science
degrees; one in manufacturing systems technolo
gy and the other in electronic and computer
technology, with a single minor in business
administration.
Mark is a 1987 graduate of West Forsyth
High School in Clemmons, where he was a track
star and the recipient of the Central Conference
Award. He enrolled at North Carolina A&.T in
the fall of 1987.
Mark Miguell Seawright
Photo by L.B. Speas Jr.
Chris Brown appeared on Rick Dees' into the Night late-night talk show and
hopes to earn a permanent spot on the show.
Chrdntcto Staff I - g 4Vv,---' - 1 f
i !>? ? i ?.< i i.i ,i i iijii.il .M.yiiHi.iii >>>i ini ? i,ii>i.i'i i <.'?;? i.i !?>> ?
f&S % ^ \ ss N s v \s *>yts ? ?. . ?;'?:?? . v
A local soldier who wis stationed in Saudi Arabia
? during the Persia* Ottlf1 Waiytrtiow-frack home with
his wife and three-year-old daughter.
?x|^V Kevin Gates returned home to Winston-Salem Sat
urday, May S to the cheers and welcomes of family and
friends, after more than three months in the desert.
Happy to be out of the desert, he says, "It feels
; great. ..You don't have to worry about any sandstorms.
The weather's a lot belter, it's not as hot."
Gates left liar Saudf Arabia faituary 21, with the
Aimy's 312th Evacuation Hospital Unit, almost a week
after the war began, v. ?
\ *At fasti was#'
' little hesitant, because ?'
T didn't want to leave I
: home,: leaving my : J
family behind and ?
everything. Other
; than that I just took it fl
asltcaiae>*f^d\$u?.v M
29-year-old Winston
Salem native/
? T But now thatfce's
back on XI. S> mU he
? says sewng his femily
was a wonderful
experience *1 felt
real great Hie reason
why, because, evenr
though we weren't
over there for a very
long period of
time.., it's kind of
rough being some
where* like thousands
of mites away from
? home* and don't know
ysSrrsy.-.'Syy<'.'r.'ss/SfS/A-A' -frSs.^yfS.^>i<<-r\-. ?
when you're going to
leave or if you're
going to leave like
; you came, he stated,
Gates says that
? : one of the first things
he did when he
returned, was cele
brate with his family,
friends and co-work
ers at his mother's
house. But after that.
he said it was important for him to spend more time
with life wife, Ifcwanna and their daughter.
? He addflthat white lie was away, he wasn't afraid
of thepowibtttty of not coming bade, but rather, hav
ing to stay for along time.
"1 Iqew that I was coming back," he said hesitant
ly, "but attimes, I thought maybe... they would have
extended me an extra six months. So I would hav^
been over there for one year instead of four mott|h$**
None of the members of the 312th Evac uhliflK
injured from fighting during the war, but
two soldiers from ^is unit were injured when w
truck overturned on the highway after picking up
ical supplies.
Gates also says that he wasn't that concerned about
the possibility of his unit engaging in combat with the
Iraqi sotdiers. "1 didn't feel as bad as maybe an
infantry soldier would have felt, because I felt by me
being in a hospital unit, 1 was goifiM
behind the front lines. And most likely we woti||jg||
have gotten hit or ambushed, so I felt pretty safe* ^
?ySSSS
Photo by L 8. Speas Jr.
Kevin Gates returned home after more than three
months 1n Saudi Arabia. His job was to carry tha wound
ed f ram svaeuation hallcoptars to tha hospital.
Even though
Gates was amem*
berof a medkaiunit
and responsible for
taking f care- of
injured soldiers, he
says his "mainjob
was working in the
motor pool of t?ait?||
tenance operatiORSj l
During the
everybody that did- 1
n't have a medical
MOS, automatically
became what they. |
call LoaderCarri?Hfe
And our Job bastcaf.
ly was to bring the !
casualties from thei^ J
helicopter or from I
their ambulance into |
the hospital* s*'\
Fortunately, lie,;
says his unit didn't
see that many casu-'
some . footed Iraqi
soldiers, who #14;
been captured or
surrendered. The
unit did not partici
pate in any fighting
since it was ?*? |
tioncd in Saudi Al??j
bia; outside of the
combat zone.
Gates joined the ;
"^rmy back.. !?
Match of 1981, and
only :;t^
hci has left in his Contract. As for the future*
and hopefully start his own business/ HVIy ptah*
are to start my own business, silkscrcenitig,
designs on T*shira and sweatshirts.