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YVomble
looking
closely
at Fifth
Womble would have
to move to qualify to
run in Burr's District
BYT. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
State Rep. Larry Womble
has always said that he would
run for U.S. Congress if and
when 12th District Rep. Mel
Watt decided to call its quits.
There is no indication that
Watt, who has served in the
House for more than a decade,
is about to throw in the towel.
The county's other congres
sional district, however, is up
ior grans.
Fifth District Republican
Rep. Richard Burr ? has said
that he will run for the U.S.
jLiiait MI
2 0 0 4.
causing a
slew of
area
Republi
cans to
? publicly
express
their
desires
to go to
Wash
Womble
i ngton.
Democrats interested in the
seat have been relatively
silent, except for Womble.
The former educator and
Winston-Salem alderman says
he is considering running to
replace Burr.
"I am not going to close
the door on that." Womble
said Friday.
Womble said he has
received phone calls from con
stituents encouraging him to
run for the seat, if Womble
does decide to throw in his
hat. he faces some obstacles.
First, Womble's Salem
Lake Road home is in Watt's
12th District. Womble is not
dismissing the possibility of
moving in order to qualify for
the race. It would not be the
first time he has moved for
election reasons. As an alder
man. Womble moved three
times to stay in the South
Ward after his residence was
repeatedly displaced during
redistricting.
Womble would also have
to run in a district that stretch
es from Watauga County to
Rockingham County and that
See Womble on A5
Photo by Kevin Walker
Coach Clarence "Bighouse" Gaines, left, and Joe Cun
ningham were honored as Black History Month heroes
last week at Sims Recreation Center. Gaines is one the
nation's winningest basketball copches. Cunningham
played for Gaines at Winston-Salem State University and
went on to become a Harlem Globetrotter.
Remembering
Love
Couples celebrate relationships
on day set aside to celebrate love
BY EELECJA P. MCMILLAN, PH.D.
COMMUNITY CORRESPONDENT ? ' ' j
Love and the Links are a magical combination.
Cupid has been working overtime for the Links and
their connecting links, and it showed at the Valentine's
Day Dinner Dance at the Adam's Mark Hotel.
According to the testimonies of the couples in the
house, they are guilty of los e in the highest degree.
"/ am absolutely
still in love with this
man because he is so
kind and loving. He is
just a wonderful person.
I find him guilty as
charged. Hie practice
the Golden Rule."
? Demerice Erwin,
milking about Iter
husband. Richard
Just as the local chapter
of the Links has endured
more than 50 years, many of
the couples have been mar
ried more than 50 years, and
Cupid is still shooting
arrows their way.
Judge Richard Erwin
and Demerice. his wife of
56 years, stood accused.
vAfter 56 years. I plead
guilty of love. We were
meant for each other," Judge
Erwin said. "Bunny does
not dispute me and I don't
dispute her. I just do as I ant told." he chuckled.
Mrs. Brv.in said: "I am absolutely still in love with
this man because he is so kind and loving. He is just a
wonderful person. I find him guilty as charged. We
practice the Golden Rule."
The Erwin cprtple attended college at Howard Uni
versity with Harold and Annie Brown Kennedy. Mar
ried for 511 years, the Kennedy pair spoke in unison.
"Lord, have mercy, we plead guilty." they stud.
"Our survival is the evidence of our love. If I had
the opportunity to do it over again. I would do it the
same way." Harold Kennedy Jr. said. "I knew I was in
love when we were getting ready to graduate from law
school. I knew that we were going our separate ways. I
?s Sec Valentine's on A10
Photo by Bruce Chapman
Robert Harrison and his wife, Nancy, still like to slow dance after 42 years.
Black issues summit
to be held in Winston
BY COURTNEY GA1LLARD
THE CHRONICLE
Winston-Salem will host
black
leaders
and pro
fession
als from
all cor
ners of
N orl h
Carolina
for the
State of
Black
North
Carolina
Williams
Conference May 3-6. Topics
such as economic development,
politics, health, education, phi
lanthropy. religion and technolo
gy will be addressed during this
bipartisan meeting of lawmakers,
business people, educators and
clergy.
Black Business Media, head
ed by Richard Williams of RLW
Public Relations and Advertis
ing. created the conference.
Williams says that for some time
now he has wanted to organize a
conference dealing with issues
relevant to black North Carolini
ans Black Business Media is an
information and entertainment
company specifically for
African-American consumers
across North Carolina. The two
divisions of Black Business
Media are the State of Black
North Carolina Conference and
black business ink magazine (the
title of the magazine is lower
cased).
"It speaks volumes that
something like this is needed to
really look at some of the issues
affecting black people on a
statewide level....There are lead
ers out there all across the state.
hut seldom are these leaders ever
together in a forum that can
address issues that affect African
Americans (in North Carolina),"
Williams
said.
The
confer
ence will
begin
with a
daylong
Black
Business
Expo at
the M.C.
Benton
Conven
Bowles
tion Lenter. 1 here will also he a
reception where the
Minority/Women' Business Exec
utives Business of the Year will
be announced, an awards gala,
along with a slew of seminars
See Summit on A5
Noted *
lawyer
pushes
freedoms
Robert Grey will become
the head the American Bar
Association beginning
in the summer of2004
BYT KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
The man recently nomi
nated to head the world's
largest professional member
ship association told Wake
Forest University law school
students Saturday night to
devote their legal professions
to upholding the laws that
make the United States the
freest nation yn earth.
"The most important thing
that we have is our Constitu
tion and
i i . U
1 II c
rights
that are
guaran
t e e d
every
body
through
that doc
ument,"
Slid
Robert
J. Grey
Grey?*
Jr.. a noted Richmond. Va..
lawyer who will slowly
matriculate to the presidency
of the American Bar Associa
tion by the summer of 2004.
"These rights are fundamental
to a free society."
Grey was the keynote
speaker at Wake's Brack Law
Student Association's 18th
annual Scholarship Banquet.
The banquet is held each year
to fund three scholarships for
black law students.
Grey urged students to use
their legal educations to be
"defenders of the rights guar
anteed in the Con.stittHj.on."
telling them that they should
take pride every time they see
constitutional rights in action.
"EveW time a woman
walks into a college class
room. we win." Grey said.
"Every time a person of color
walks out of a voting booth,
we win.... Every time a news
paper is published, we win."
Grey is a partner in the
Richmond office of Hunton &
See Grey t?n.A4
Harlem teacher shares success story at Wake
BYT. KEVIN WALKER
' THE CHRONICLE ,
Ron Clark has always craved adventure and
excitement. His thirst for new and different life
experiences has led him just about everywhere,
fnim Europe, where he was a singing waiter, to the
"Price is Right.",where Clark became one of a very
few people to win the much-coveted Showcase
Showdown.
But it has been in front of a classroom where
Clark has experienced his biggest highs, giving chil
dren w hom many adults had written off as stupid or
troublemakers a reason to w ant to succeed.
"I can't imagine doing anything else." he told
hundreds of people during a speech at Wake Forest
University last week. "The best adventures and
challenges w ere right there in the four walls of that
classroom."
Clark. 31. gained fame in 2000 when he was
named the Di.sney American Teacher of the Year for
efforts that propelled a struggling group of fifth
graders at Harlem's Public School 83 from the aca
demic bottom to the top. Clark's determination to
educate children that have been called unteachable
Sec Clark on A4 I
IPtxWo* hv Kevin Walker
Acclaimed teacher Ron Clark delivered his speech at WfU with tons of energy.
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