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Photo courtesy of John Thomas |
Taken in 1951, the first black members of the city's fire department strike a pose. From left: Robert Grier, George Penn, Raphael Black,
John Ford, John Meredith Jr., Lester Farvin, Willie Carter and John R. Thomas.
Trail Blazers
Officials show first black firefighters that they have not been forgotten
BY CORTNEY L. HILL
THE CHRONICLE
Tlie 50th anniversary of Win
ston-Salem's first black firefighters
was celebrated last Wednesday at
the Adam's Mark Winston Plaza
Hotel with a salutatory luncheon
hosted by Mayor Pro Tempore
Vivian Burke.
The surviving four members of
the eight pioneers - Raphael O.
Black. Willie J. Carter. Robert L.
Grier and John R. Thomas - were
present at the luncheon to accept
honors and praise from Winston
Salem Mayor Jack C'avanagh. Jr.,
Deputy Fire Chief John W. Lucas.
City Manager Bryce A. Stuart.
Burke and other city personnel.
Cavanagh began the luncheon
with a few remarks about the fire
men. He mentioned how incredi
bly proud he was of the men and
how impressed he was with them
because the No. 4 Fire Department
was one of the first departments in
jVinston-Salem to become inte
;I crated during a time when the Civil
?IRights Movement had not gotten
"?underway.
!**- Burke referred to the men as
J.'making history." Stuart recog
jlnlzed them for their great leader
>*?hip and day-to-day dedication to
Ijlhe city Fire Department. He also
[?}aid how proud he is to be associat
ed with them.
'I*'
During the luncheon, the
retired men all reminisced about
the ups and downs of the early
days. They also shared stories that
entertained and enlightened the
small group attending.
The eight men came to the city
Fire Department in 1951 due to a
vote passed by the Winston-Salem
Board of Aldermen. The eight
member Board of Aldermen
included only one black. Kenneth
R. Williams, former chancellor of
Winston-Salem State University.
Williams introduced the vote to
add the black firefighters. With
four members voting against the
men being in the department and
four voting for it. former Mayor
Marshall Kurfees broke the dead
lock, voting to hire the men.
The eight men came on board
with seven white firemen already in
the department.
"Because we came in during a
time when integration hadn't
occurred, the seven white firemen
were ridiculed because they had to
be over us," said Grier. "We came
in during a time when the North
Carolina separation laws were
existing. Because of that they had
to build another kitchen for the
black firemen to use and we had to
sleep in separate quarters because
we were not allowed to be in the
same room."
Because integration did not
happen until a decade later,
Thomas said, the integration
among the workers in the depart
ment was something new to the city
of Winston-Salem. "Because we
integrated gradually amongst oiir
S'ct Firefighters an A9
Photo by JcfTcry Toomer City of Winston-Salem
The surviving four members of pioneering eight - from left, Robert Grier, Willie Carter; John Thomas
and Raphael Black.
Mighty ginkgo is subject of study
Photo* by Cortncy Hill
Dr. Sharon Jackson makes a point at a recent function.
More than 700 people currently being sought
BY CORTNEY L. HILL
THE CHRONICLE
Dr. Sharon Jackson of the
Bowman Gray medical staff
along with other medical staff
members Sally Mauney. Beverly
Tucker and Michelle Greene
came to give a seminar about
Ginkgo Biloba recently at the
Mount Zion Baptist Church ..
Ginkgo Biloba. a tree whose
leaves have many active ingredi
ents, has been the subject of
much study and debate.
Ginkgo leaves have been
extracted and used in countless
medical
studies,
including
ones trying
to help pre
v e n t
Alzheimer's
disease
memory
loss. The
Wake For
est University School of Medi
cine is conducting research
called the Ginkgo Evaluation
of Memory Study (GEM) and
is looking to recruit healthy
St i Study on A10
Benbow
First Ladies
Photo by Kevin Walker
If. Gov. Beverly Perdue, right, chats with her "hero," local legend
Annie Brown Kennedy.
College salutes women who have
left marks on history A
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
There was no glass on the floor
at a reception held Sunday at
Forsyth Technical Community
College, though the guests of
honor have broken through glass
ceilings in a variety of professions.
The Women's Resource Center
at FTCC shined the spotlight on
"women who were first,'" praising
them for raising the bar while
breaking down walls. Among those
honored for being first ladies were
Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, the first
woman to hold the state's number
two spot, and Desna W'allin, the
first female president of FTCC.
"These women are shining
examples of women who have
Set Ladies < AS
I Raleigh, CIAA
basking in union
Last tourney was
most successful ever
FROM STAFF REPORTS '
The Central Intercol teg,#'"
Athletic Association's success may
prove to be some Winston-Salem
officials' heartache. The CIAA
announced last week that its most
recent men's and women's basket
ball tournament, held in Raleigh.
I '?? -w in
was its most profitable ever. The
news comes as officials here pre
pare to launch an all-out attack to
regain the tournament from its
neighbor to the east.
The 56th annual tourney. I.J.J
in late February, early March,
broke attendance records, drawing
more than 75.000 fans, nearly
20.IXX) more than last year, which
was the first year the tournament
was held in Raleigh. The CIAA
pointed out in a news release that
Si < CIAA mi A4
,
\Jr Photo by Kevin Walker
Red Cross employees Bill Mangan and Kerrenda Crandol unbox
fire detectors donated to the agency by Lowes.
Tragedies have pushed
fire safety to forefront
Free smoke alarms available to residents who qualify
BY T.KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
Tragedy has been the result of
many house fires in the Triad over
the past few weeks. Apartment
fires sent several Triad residents to
hospitals; a Greensboro man died
last week after his home was
engulfed in flames; and fire devas
tated a Winston-Salem family
March 7, leaving a 3-year-old
child dead and other family mem
bers with severe injuries.
The fires have kept officials at
the Northwest N.C. Chapter of
the American Red Cross busy. The
agency provides clothes, warm
meals, counseling and temporary
shelter for fire victims. There have
been more than 2(H) people dis
placed since last November by
fires in the Red Cross' Northwest.
Many of those displaced have
received a helping hand from the
agency.
There have been four fatalities
See Fire alarms on A4
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