I ? T TT> v^JrlJv Vol. XXXIV No. 46 - See Page A3 ?See Page B8 ?nity ^c> 23 110808 . * '5-DIGIT 2710. NORTH CAROLINA ROOM FORSYTH CTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 660 W 5TH ST WINSTON SALE2-1 -VC 01 2755 THURSDAY, Ju Parkland . gears up for football season -See Page B1 Hunt agency honors clients Kin gather for their 75th \ reunion ! Onward, Christian Students Ministers Conference awards scholarships BY LAYLA FARMER THE CHRONICLE _ Anthony Speas gave up football to concentrate on his studies. A former reserve quarterback at Parkland Magnet High School, Speas, who graduated in May, says his love for the sport had to take a back seat to his ambi tious senior year. "He let his goals for foot ball go. I knew he was grow ing up then," commented his mother, Mary Speas. When he first told his friends he was quitting the team, they didn't believe him, Speas says. They soon discovered just how serious the aspiring physician really was. "It paid off," he related with a grin. "I did better than I did in all four years." Speas' performance in the classroom and dedication to his studies paid off in other ways too. He and five pther students from the WS/FCS system became the recipients of Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarships from the Ministers Conference of Photo by Lay la Farmer Graduates pose with their parents and members of the Ministers Conference of Winston-Salem. Winston-Salem and Vicinity. The students - one of whom was already away at her col lege of choice - were honored last Thursday with a special ceremony at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. "Students need an oppor tunity to go to college and to better themselves," comment ed Dr. Linda Beal, president of the Ministers Conference. "We wanted to give the schol arships to the most deserving people we could find." In order to be eligible for consideration for the $1000 awards, each student had to be accepted to a historically See Scholarships on A9 Rising freshmen get a high school crash course Photos by Lay la Fanner m A student takes part in a DNA lab experiment at Parkland ear lier this week. Right: Rising freshman Savon Rorie stands in the hallway at Parkland. Program designed to cut dropout rates BY LAYLA FARMER THE CHRONICLE Dropout rates in this community and across the nation have long been a topic of heated discussion and debate. While the theories on why and how they w.i u, A , happen may vary and prevention efforts are diverse, most experts can agree that low graduation rates have a negative effect on the economy and on society as a whole. In the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System, Parkland High School's 6S.8 percent graduation rate is of particular concern to school officials and the commu nity, as it is the lowest in the system. In an effort to derail the pattern of stu dent failure, the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina teamed up with Big Brothers / Big Sisters and Family Services to implement a unique program dubbed "Graduating Our Future." Funded by a See Freshmen on All Dr. Allen Better Late than Never? o Local doctors react to AM A apology to blacks BY LAYLA FARMER THE CHRONICLE The American Medical Association has boldly done what few people or organiza I tions are willing to do - admitted they were wrong. The association, which is home to more than 250 ?00 practicing physicians across the natipn, issued an apology earlier this month for its role in the perpetuation of segrega tion and apatfay towards civil rights issues that concerned blacks. African Americans were barred from the association until the late 1960's, accord ing to reports. "... the AM A failed, across ? the span of a century, to live up to the high standards that define the noble profession of medicine," writes immediate Past President Dr. Ronald Davis, in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association or JAMA. "...These dishonor able acts of omission and commission reflected the social mores and racial segre gation that existed during those times throughout much of the United States. But that context does not excuse them. The medical profession, which is based on a boundless respect for human life, had an obligation to lead society Sac Apology on A4 HAWS building losses tenants Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership and Center for Community Safety find new homes BY TODD LUCK THE CHRONICLE Two longtime tenants of the down town Loewy Building on Fourth Street have relocated. The Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership (DWSP) and the Winston Salem State University Center for Community Safety (CCS) have left the Fourth Street building for other down town locations. Forsyth Economic Ventures, a non profit subsidiary of the Housing Authority of Winston-Salem (HAWS), owns the building and wants the ground level space that the two agencies occu pied for showier clients that can draw more business to the building, one of the downtown's most historic. HAWS offices o&upy the third and fourth floor of Loewy, and other tenants include a law office and financial service firms. The leases were up for both the Center for Community Safety and DWSP. Both were offered other spaces in the building, but the agencies declined. "We offered them space in the interi or of the building so we can bring in a retail establishment or a business estab lishment tnat would ennance tne ouuaing or increase revenues and fit well within the downtown corridor here," said Larry Woods, the executive director of the Housing Authority, which bought the building six years ago. The Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership supports the effort to use its former ipace for a more people-friendly business. The goal of the non-profit group is to promote downtown economic development and revitalization. It active ly recruits businesses the area, advocates for existing businesses and produces events like the downtown Summer Music Series. DWSP moved just last week. Its old office is already filled by the local cam paign of presidential hopeful Barack Obama. That office is ortly temporary, though. It will close after the November election. DWSP's new home is the Chatham See Loewy on A9 nmn by Kevin Walkn Bennie Williams helps decorate the windows of the new Obama for President office in the Loewy Building. In Memory of Charlene Russell Brown "Growing and Still Dedicated to Serve You Better" jRuggell Jfimeral ffiome Wishes to Thank Everyone For Their Support Carl Russell Ave. Cat Martin I uther King Or.) Winston-Salem , NC 271? J (33*) 722-3459 Fax (336) 631-8268 rusfhome bellsouth jnet I