r - WflRARy 27101_275c Vol. XXXII No. 40 THURSDAY, June 8, 2006 Young soccer star honored by his school ?See Page BJ n Powerball * briefly comes to Hanes Mall East Winston ( Legacy of heroine Hopkins lives Portion of busy street named for late community servant BY SANDRA ISLEY THE CHRONICLE . She was often called a slave for all people. Now those who Velma Hopkins touched and served are cele brating a very vis ible honor for the late conftunity activist. A section of Liberty Street has been renamed Velma Bess Hoover Hopkins j Burke Way Those who loved and respect- c ed Hopkins were on hand last Thursday for the unveiling, which took place out- \ side of the Medicap Pharmacy on the t Liberty St p??cn!^!nj3nu!Jey Residents can see the sign at Liberty and 1 4th streets. :omer of Liberty and 14th streets. Mayor Pro Tempore Vivian Burke, vho spearheaded the project, said it was he ideal place for the sign because Hopkins had lived in the area. The inter section also has stop lights. Burke' said, giving people a greater opportunity to notice the street sign that bears her name. "She did it her way, before Frank Sinatra was singing it his way, because she was her own individual and we're just blessed that Mrs. Hopkins was born in Asheville, N.C., but came to Winston Salem to live," said Burke. During the ceremony, Mayor Allen Joines issued a proclamation listing Hopkins' numerous accomplishments Her mountains of work for the under privileged, underemployed and unem ployed spans decades. Hopkins, who once worked at R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., organized United Tobacco Workers Local 22, a pre dominantly African-American union that helped to secure better wages for w ork ers at RJR and improved working condi tions within the factories. "She knew that RJ Reynolds was built on the backs of blacks," said Burke "And she knew that blacks should gel fair treatment " ? She also fought for integration. In the 1950s, she was involved in the initiative that enrolled the first black student in lily- white Reynolds High School Hopkins was no stranger in the world of See Hopkins on A 13 Winston Lake Y celebrates 20th year BY TODD LI CK THE CHRONICLE The Winston Lake YMCA last Thursday celebrated its 20th year at its current Waterworks Road location The ceremony included per formances by the Winston Lake Y 's popular Boss Drummers, the Jazzy Jumpers jump-roping troupe and a poetry reading by students in the Y's after-school program. More than 125 people came out to help the Y celebrate. Winston Lake Y M C A moved into its current facility on June 1, 19 8 6 from a teak location thai was located downtown on Patterson Avenue. The Winston I^ake facility's first director, Norman Joyner, said making the move was a major project for the community at the time. "This building was not easy," he said. "Raising money for this building was not easy, (jetting support from the com munity was not easy. But people believed that what this facility, what the staff and what the vol unteers could do, they could make a difference in the lives of young people." Joyner said that back then other local VMCA branches had been expanded and it was Winston Lake's turn. He said with tremendous support from the community, the 50,000 square foot facility was built on 13 acres of land that the YMCA purchased The new facility was a cut above the old Patterson Avenue site, with a regulation size gym, a swimming pool, child care facilities and other features that made it into a full service facili Sec l.eak on AM A BIG Honor Hhcrto by Kevin Walker Clara Gaines, the widow of communi ty servant and bas ketball legend Clarence "Big House" Gaines, stands beneath a super-sized version of, a street sign bearing her hus band's name. East End Boulevard, where Coach Gaines lived with his family for five decades, has been renamed Big House Gaines Boulevard. Clara Gaines is joined here by her daughter, Lisa McDonald, and the other residents of Big House Gaines Boulevard. To read more about the event, see page A 16. Raye of Hope Local king of positivity rebounds from colon cancer BY SANDRA ISLEY THE CHRONICLE "I was shell shocked - frozen in shock, but I was never afraid. And still ain't afraid, because I knew that I was not going to die. I knew because I got too tnuch work to do. I got to go save some black folks " Those are the words of John Raye. He has been known by many titles over the years - "businessman," "motivational speaker," "dreamer" These days, he has a new title - cancer sur vivor. He was diagnosiscd with colon cancer earlier this year. According to the American Cancer Society, colon cancer aiiecis minions cacn year anu raiiKs see ond as (he most deadly foim of cancer In January, doctors removed 18 inches of Raye's colon. He is perhaps best known for spread ing hope and black empowerment. An inspirational motivational speaker and author, black self determination and self empowerment were already virtues that Raye regularly preached about. He has now added earlier diagnosii and cancer testing to his list of topics. "Everywhere I go, I speak about can cer. Now what I really speak on is eco nomic and financial empowerment. That's my thing - showing people how to be a job-maker instead of a job-taker but, no matter what I've been asked to speak on, I'm going to talk about cancer," he said. Raye admits that he ignored Rosie Smith 31 ?113 U1 Sandra Wey ?/?/ Memory of Our "Growing and Still Dedicated to Serve You Better" Kusssll Itfimiral Hmnr Wishes to Thank Everyone For Their Support Russell Ave. uther King Dr. > lem. NC 27IO! <334S> / 22-3459 k?* (jm) 631-8: rusfhomeC?> bellsou t h .net