* V *
The Chronicle
Community Focus
Winston-Salem Greensboro High Point
siction C 1974-Celebrating 25 Years - 1999 " Octo?i? 21, 1999
Community
Calendar
Sowing the game
The East Winston Heritage
Center and the A BCD Best Start
Fatherhood Connection Program
will hold a special forum on the
family Oct. 23.
A video will be shown and a dis
cussion on the state of the African
American family will follow.
The event will begin at 3:30 p.m.
and will be held at the Heritage
Center, 1110 East Seventh St.
For more information call 727
2202.
Calling all delegates
The North Carolina Democrat
ic Party is looking for delegates to
attend the 2000 Democratic Con
vention in Los Angeles
The state has been allotted 103
delegates and 14 alternates to the
convention. The delegates will have
an opportunity to decide which
Democrats will run for president.
Individuals interested in attend
ing must file a notice of candidacy,
available from state or county party
chair after Dec. 1, and a statement
of presidential preference with the
North Carolina Democratic Party.
For a copy of the delegate selec
v tion plan, call (800) 229-3367 or
(919) 821-2777. Information on the
delegate selection process is also
available on the Web at
www.ncdp.org.
Ebony Fashion Fair retirns
Oct. 29 marks the date the annu
al Ebony Fashion Fair makes its
return to the Triad.
The show, which features fash
ions by the world's top designers, is
sponsored by the Winston-Salem
Urban League Guild.
Proceeds from the event will
benefit the Urban League and pro
vide scholarships for students who
plan to attend college.
The show will be held at M.C.
Benton Convention Center at 8
p.m. For tickets call 725-5614.
For more on Ebony Fashion
Fair, see The Chronicle's special
insert:
Big Four Reunion
The city's historically black high
schools will celebrate their fifth
annual gathering Oct. 28-30.
Alumni of Atkins, Paisley,
Anderson and Carver high schools,
known collectively as the "Big
Four,'' will kick off Big Four
Reunion with a worship service Oct.
28 at Shiloh Baptist Church, 916
East 12th St. The Rev. Gwathney
Leak will lead the service, which will
include special music by the Big
Four Choir, with special guest The
Community Outreach Fellowship
Choir.
The service will begin at 6:30
pm.
On Oct. 29, the group will pay
homage to the teachers during a
luncheon at the historic Anderson
Center on the campus of Winston
Salem State University from noon-2
pm..
Tickets to the luncheon may be
purchased by calling 765-0030.
The reunion will end with the
fifth annual Big Four Dance Oct. 30
from 8 p.m.-2 a.m. at the Benton
Convention Center.
Individuals interested in partici
pating in Big Four Choir and usher
ing during the Oct. 28 service are
invited to attend rehearsals sched
uled for Oct. 17 at New Hope Bap
tist Church, corner of Cleveland
Avenue and New Hope Lane, and
Oct. 21 at Shiloh Baptist Church.
Both rehearsals will begin at 7
pm. '
* ' \
Caring obstetrician
Hopkins
honored during
testimonial dinner
BY FELECIA P. McMILLAN
COMMUNITY CORRESPONDENT
For almost 20 years, obstetrician
Lawrence Hopkins has gone quietly
about his work.
He's delivered more babies than
he cares to count and counseled
s.: hundreds of women on how to care
for themselves and their newborns.
Last week, Hopkins was one of
three local doctors honored by the
March of Dimes and the Urban
League during a testimonial dinner
for their commitment to keeping
children healthy.
"We are here tonight to honor
three pillars of our society. ... Look
at the families here to support these
three heroes," said honorary co
chair Maya Angelou, Reynolds Pro
fessor of American Studies at Wake
Forest University. "I am a human
being. Nothing human can be alien
to me. The people we are honoring
tonight have said that, and we are
the better for it."
Not one to toot his own horn,
Hopkins is reluctant to talk about
himself, or the years he's spent car
ing for women - particularly those
who can't afford prenatal care.
Each week, he divides his time
between his practice at Aegis Win
ston-East and Today's Woman, a
health center which provides prena
tal care for some of the city's needi
est women and children.
Hopkins focuses on the need to
teach women to take care of them
selves.
"That's what's really important,"
he said in an interview before the*
banquet. "Women just need to be
taught how to take care of them
selves when they're pregnant."
In Forsyth County and across
the nation, African American babies
' die at twice the rate of white babies
, and are most likely to be born small
or premature.
"Allow me to remind you of the
bitter pills we have to swallow," said
Dr. Richard Janeway, professor of
neurology at Wake Forest Universi
ty School of Medicine, who served
as honorary co-chair of the event.
"Every day in North Carolina, eight
babies are born with birth defects.
Every day in North Carolina, three
babies die before they reach their
first birthday. Every day 25 babies
are born with low birth weight.
Every day 10 babies are born to
mothers who did not receive ade
quate prenatal care. These facts
must not stand," Janeway said. "The
March of Dimes is here to reduce
this."
The statistics are even more grim
for babies born to poor or young
mothers, a fact not lost on Hopkins.
He was one of a group of local doc
tors who worked with the late Mazie
Woodruff, a tireless community
worker, to create Today's Woman as
a resource for pregnant women in
the Kimberley Park and Boston
communities.
During the banquet, Linda
Carter, executive director of Today's
Woman, presented a plaque to Hop
kins and showed a slide presentation
of the physician's contributions and
achievements.
Hopkins said he was just grateful
to be able to help.
"I do what I can do to serve this
community. I thank my family and
friends for being here, especially my
wife. Without her, I would be unable
to do the things I do in this commu
nity. She has been with me for the
past 25 plus years. Thank you,
Beth," he said.
Beth Hopkins said she was proud
of her husband's work in the com
munity.
"It has been a pleasure serving
the community. Mazie approached
us, seeking our help, and we were
blessed. Forsyth Hospital was will
ing to help us fill a void," she said.
"Larry has worked really hard. We
feel privileged to be part of the
evening."
The eldest of five children, Hop
kins, an All ACC football player at
Wake Forest, said he always enjoyed
See Dr. Hopkins on page C2
Dr. lawrcnc* Hopkins
*
lowrtnc* 0. Hopkins, M.D. offorod words of thanks for all who supported
his offorts toward winning rocognition for his modiral oxportiso.
^ ? *??**" ? SHH
Or. Maya Angmlou, Reynold* Protestor of American Studio* at Wake forett
University, tarred a* the co-chair of the tettimonial dinner.