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NORTH CAROLINA ROOM I ? Mi T ? ?
FORSYTH CTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
SJJia ? j^_y I Jf^j
' Vol. XXXII No. 49 THURSDAY, August 10,
Players and
friends hold
tribute for
Bill Hayes
?See Page B I
Bishop
Noel Jones
comes to
Winston
-See Page A 13
people ti7f% _
part in Mq
fashion show C
Sweet 60
Keller does all
the giving at her
birthday party
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
It was Claudette Keller's
60th birthday bash, but it was
her four dozen party guests that
got all of the pampering.
Keller planned a fairytale
party for herself Saturday at the
Southeastern Center for
Contemporary Arts (SECCA), a
castle-like facility that was once
a privately-owned mansion.
There were red carpets laid out
outside and inside the building
for her guests to stroll down
once they arrived in the stretch
limousines that Keller char
tered. Inside, they were serenad
ed by a harpist, a violinist and
welcomed by well-dressed
servers carrying trays of shrimp
cocktail and quiche. They
danced and dined in SEtCA's
main window-encased gallery,
surrounded by eye-catching
works of art.
Keller - decked in a lavish
blue gown and head-to-toe
shiny baubles ?was the belle of
the ball, but her friends and fam
ily members were the guests of
hon6r. She even insisted that
they not bring birthday gifts. A
collector of greeting cards,
Keller did accept birthday cards.
She. placed a mailbox at the
gallery's entrance that guests
slipped cards into. Keller,
though, did do some gift-giving,
presenting each of her guests
with a bottle of sparkling cider
with personalized labels.
Keller - who arrived in her
own car for the event - said she
did not want to be the focus of
the party. She has been there and
done that.
"I have had people give me
surprise birthday parties before.
I did not want that. I wanted to
do something different," she
said as the jewels fn her hair
sparkled like a tiara. "A lot of
people have not had an opportu
nity to experience anything like
this. I wanted them to have this
experience."
Guests received invitations
to the soiree a few weeks ago.
They were only required to wear
either a tuxedo or gown and
wait for the limo. Keller, who
could easily pass for 45, knows
a thing or two about formal
shindigs. For two decades she
worked in public relations at
Piedmont Airlines where she
coordinated marketing events
and often dined beside mayors,
governors and heads of state.
These days she works as a wed
ding directress and'runs her own
home-based computer business.
Keller's event planning
skills were evident Saturday.
She scheduled the time that each
guest arrived. She wanted the
most extraverted people at the
event first so that they could
create a lively atmosphere for
the more reserved guests.
Keller who has adult chil
dren and comes from a large
extended family - admits that
putting together the limited
guest list was a task.
"I tried not to hurt anyone's
feelings," she said.
She made the decision that
Photos by Kevin Walker
* Above: Claudelle Keller
greets one of her guests
Saturday at SECCA's main
entrance.
Left: Guests exit a stretch
limo and make their way
down the red carpet.
the event would be a strictly
adult affair, with only guests
who were at least 40 years old.
That requirement even excluded
her own children and her grand
children. The only exception
was Darryl Keller, Claudette
Keller's nephew. He drove from
Atlanta to be his aunt's escort
for the party.
"I would have driven a thou
sand miles if she asked me to,"
he said.
See Keller on All
Network
to work
to help
Carver
BY SANDRA 1SLEY
THE CHRONICLE
Carver* High School support
ers announced Monday the for
mation of the Greater Carver
Road Network for Better
Education during a news confer
ence at Grace Presbyterian
Church, located just down the
road from the school.
Grace, Wentz Memorial
United Church of Christ, also
located near Carver, join several
o t n e r
churches
through
out the
city and
Carver
support
ers in the
new
organiza
t i o n ,
which
aims to
enhance
Stevenson
the educational experience of
Carver students. A Wake County
Superior Court judge suggested
earlier this year that Carver and
several other schools around the
state should be shut down
because of students' low test
scores.
As part of the effort, many of
the churches .are establishing
after-school tutoring programs
and an aggressive campaign to
get parents involved with the
school 's Parent-Teacher-Student
Association. Members of the
churches will also serve as hall
monitors at the school, making
sure the students are where they
are supposed to be, when they
are supposed to be there.
The Rev. Samuel Stevenson.
Grace's pastor, said the group
holds no resentment for Judge
Howard Manning, who angered
many when he suggested clos
ing Carver.
He described Manning's
action as a wake-up call to the
community and the school.
See Carver on A 12
Teens finish
summer work
BY SANDRA ISLEY
THE CHRONICLt
D
Students from the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System
marched into the auditorium of Carver High School on Friday. They
Photo by Sandra hie
A young worker shows off his cer
tificate at last week's ceremony.
were appiauaeu ny iamny.
friends and community lead
ers for a job well done during
a ceremony held in their
honor. The teenagers were
awarded certificates for par
ticipating in the Winston
Salem Urban League's
Summer Youth Employment
Program, which recently
ended.
The summer employment
program was designed to
teach the students financial
responsibility by allowing
them to earn a paycheck
while working for, local
y churches, non-profits and
- other businesses. The stu
dents also learned about Job
(Tunic Mr and banking servic
es. A checking account was set up for each participants, and they were
See Jobs on A12
Killings and vigils continue in city
? 1 ? 7-t an nnHnri
D I I VI III 1AA T\
THE CHRONICLE
Vigils for Healing, a group
that holds vigils to honor those
who have died of violent crime
in Winston-Salem, held its sev
enth vigil last week.
This vigil honored Julius
"Dub" Walker who was killed in
a fight in March. It was held on
a small area of grass under a cou
ple of shade trees near where
Walker died at Dutch Village
Apartments. The crowd was lit
tle more than 30 people in num
ber but the emotions they
emanated were immense. Lots of
tears were shed during the cere
mony as ffiends and family
talked about how much Walker
meant to them. Even medical
professionals who gave Walker
therjipy for an injured arm spoke
about about what a joy it was to
know him. There was lots of
crying but also lots of embrac
ing. as people from all the differ
ent parts of Walker's life came
together to cope with their lose.
Tracey Maxwell, who began
Vigils for Healing, said the goal
is to bring people together to
help them cope with the loss of a
Ptfolo b\ I < wl. I I ihk
Tracey Maxwell, far right, looks on as the victim 's father and sister hug. Also pictured is Deloris
Huntley.
slain loved one and to reclaim
the scene of the crime for the
community. Maxwell said the
vigils reach across ethnic, eco
nomic and social divides to pro
vide comfort for those in mourn
ing
"These vigils allow us to
reach out and clasp hands and ?
stand with these people who are
suffering. 1 do feel it's important
See Vigils on A S
eful Memory of Our
Founders,
rie S. Russell and
rlH. Russell, Sr.
"Growing and Still Dedicated to Serve You Better "
HRussbII fflmtergl T&omv
Wishes to Thank Everyone For Their Support
822 Carl Russell Ave.
(at Martin Luther King I?r.)
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
(336> 722^3459
Fa* (336) 631-8268
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