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Local inventor designs painter s tool
By MM RIO ( K<>( kl K
Community \esvs Reponoi
Charles Harris of Winston-Salem has always
wanted to he an inventor and said he has prayed
every night that Clod hless him with an' idea.
Harris is a painter b\ profession. His prayers
were answered as he was painting a customer's
kitchen cabinets.
*'l was trying to get under the cabinets, so I
broke the handle oil the brush, then the idea came
to me," he said.
The idea that came to Harris was to create a
pairtt brush with a removable handle.
According to Harris, this would allow painters
to get under those hard-to-reach places.
As Harris began to work on the brush, more
ideas began to develop on how to improve his
invention.
"When I first began. I did not know that I was
going to put all of these things on one brush " he
said.
Harris calls his invention the "Smart Brush", a
nine-in-one tool.
What began as a paint brush w ith a removable
handle, quickly developed into a paint opener, a
paint scraper, a knife, knife sharpener, a screw dri
ver. and a duster, just to name a few.
"Having all of these tools in one is going to
save time, because you won't have to worry about
stopping to find your tools." Harris said.
Harris, who has been a painter tor 24 years,
said the "Smart Brush" is a necessity tor all
painters.
"When the brush is put on the market, it's not
going to be something painters may like to have
it's going to be something they must have," he
said. ? *
James Whitehead, manager of Sherwin
Williams Co. in Winston-Salem, said he thinks the
Smart Brush will be a plus for painters.
"1 think it is something they will benefit from,
because it w ill save them a lot of time," Whitehead
said.
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Charles Harris demonstrates the utility of his inven
tion, the Smart Brush.
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Winston-Salem Chronicle
120596DA01 ** C007
N C ROOM
forsyth cnty pub lib >/C? for AfricanNews and Information
660 W 5TH ST # Q J J
winstqn-salem NC 27101-2755 THURSDAY, August 22, 1996
75 cents Dedicated to the Memory of Clarence E. Nottingham: 1903-1995 vol. xxii. No. 51
Political correctness "stinks!
55
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really the problem it*'
America and to sug
gest the best way to
solve it!"
By WILLIAM H TURNER.Ph.D.
Special to the Chronicle i
"Konnections," an annual forum of the Winston
Salem Urban League, is like a homecoming. It brings
together those who have gone through the League's
20-hour series of give-and-take discussions^-on a
broad range of subjects that lie at the base of racial
problems in the l .S.A. The League designed "Bridg
ing the Gaps" for those, especially whites, whose job
it is to "solve" the social problems that stem from
racial intolerance, insensitivity. and ignorance. When
they finish the course, they come together ? with a
sense of community and unity ? in "Konnections," a
lecture and reception, that climaxes "Bridging."
The homecoming this year brought home Claud
Anderson, who grew up in "The Pond" section of
Winston. Dr. Anderson, a very good choice for the
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h#
Nancy Young of Sara Lee, left, listens intently
during a discussion with L'rban League Execu
tive Director Delores Smith.
?K. ?# ? v; v? . ? res. * .? y
'C speaker encourages
>e a dream and work hard
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Lloyd V. Hockley, P
Carolina's Community College System
A Dream Come True: Graduating
By KIMBERLY L. MARION
Special to the Chronicle
Mildred "Tiny" Hall, a local mother of six
children, dropped out of high school when her
"children came along and she needed to care for
them. Many years later, her children are the very
reason she returned to Forsyth Tech's Main Cam
pus to earn her Adult High School diploma.
"Finishing school was one of the things I've
always wanted to do. hut when 1 was growing up.
it was hard to do,"1 Tiny Hall noted. "One of the
main reasons I decided to return was to encourage
my children and get them hack in school, so they
could make something of their lives."
Tiny is certainly setting the stage for her chil
dren On Tuesday evening. Aug. 13, she received
her Adult High School diploma during Forsyth
Technical Community College's graduation exer
cises held in Wait Chapel at Wake Forest Univer
sity.
"Graduation made me feel real good ahout
myself. Tears welled up in my eyes, and 1 felt very
proud," Tiny said. Her hushand and several of her
six children, ranging in age from 8 to 28, were in
attendance.
Lloyd V. Hackley, the president of the state's
community college system, intended for Tinv and
the other 91 Adult High School graduates to feel
proud. Hackley was the guest speaker at the gradu
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Mildred "Tiny" Hall receives congratulations and support from her family on graduating
from Forsyth Tech's Adult High School.
Black spending rebounds, outpaces whites on big items
CHICAGO (AC) ? Black buying
power increased sharpK last year, helping
black households outpace white house
holds on spending for cars, children's
clothing and perishable foods, a new
study found.
The shift highlights black consumers'
increasing importance to the U.S. econ
omy as they garner more spending
money, said Ken Smikle. editor of the
study made by market research firm Tar
get Market News Inc.
"Even though African Americans are
only roughly 13 percent of the popula
tion. they're st .rting to have a significant
influence on many (business) categories.'"
Smikle said Monday. "When you're talk
ing about billions of dollars to be made or
lost, businesses have to sit up and, take
notice." v ??
Personal income for blacks rose to
$324 billion from $304.5 billion a year
earlier, the Chicago-based research firm
estimated.
Previous studies have found the
amount of money blacks have to spend is
growing faster than that of other U.S.
groups. And increasing confidence in the
economy has led blacks to loosen their
purse strings following a sharp drop in
spending on big-ticket items a year ear
lier, Smikle said.
"In the past twoT.vears, blacks have
had a lack of confidenceJn the economy
and their own financial situhhons. leading
them to delay spending." he said. "Now
that things seem to he more optimistic,
the^ are making up with postponed pur
chases"
Black households spent $10.8 billion
last year on new- cars and trucks, a 16$
percent increase over $4.1 billion a year
earlier, the study found. That compares to
just a 9 percent increase over a year ago
for white households.
The survey analyzed in-person inter
views and diaries taken from $.000 black
households for the I S. Department of
Commerce's annual consumer spending
survey.
Among other findings, the average
black household:
?Spends SI.592 a year on clothing,
compared to $1,650 for whites. But
blacks outspcnt whites nearly It) percent
more on clothing tor children under 15.
$202 vvr$265.
?Spends-an average 48 percent more
than whites on food prepared at home,
including fresh meat. fish, eggs and poul
try.
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CLASSIFIEDS C-5
OPINION
ENTERTAINMENT..B-8
OBITUARIES B-11
SPORTS B-1
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