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VOI.XXXVINO.14 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. THURSDAY, December 3, 2009
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Photo by William Philpott/REUTERS
Secretary Togo West with President Bill Clinton on the
White House lawn in 2000.
Tribute to
Togo?
Some want prominent honor for former
US. Veterans Affairs Secretary
BY LAYLA FARMER
I HE CHRONIC! E
One of Winston-Salem's
most prominent natives has
yet to get the local recogni
tion that he deserves, some
city residents say.
Phillip Carter, who
recently ran for a seat on the
Winston-Salem City
Council, is leading
the charge to have
a street or building
in the city named
for Togo West Jr.,
a former U.S.
Secretary of
Veterans Affairs
and an alumnus of
Atkins High
School.
West, who
holds a law degree
trom Howard University,
was nominated by then
President Bill Clinton for the
post in 1998. West had previ
ously served as United
States Secretary of the Army
under Clinton.
Carter believes West
should be enshrined in the
cfty, as a means of reminding
local residents that the sky
really is the limit for them.
"I felt that by Togo being
a native of Winston-Salem
and also a graduate of Atkins
... it would be a great moti
vating tool." he commented.
"It'll always bring recogni
tion to who he is and also to
the fact that he was an
African American who came
out of the (city's) East
Ward."
Naming something in
West's honor would provide
a different perspective to
youth who most
often hear about
athletes and enter
tainers from the
area who found
success. Carter
said.
"Sometimes, it
appears that some
things are not
achievable," he
remarked. "(But)
when you hear
about people that started
right where you started out,
(you realize) they didn't get
there by magic, and you too
can do it."
Outgoing City Council
Member Evelyn Terry is one
of a handful of city leaders
who have lent their support
to the campaign thus far.
Terry, a native of Winston
Salem. went to elementary
school with West.
See Tribute on A5
Carter
Teacher Thriller
Photo by Layla Farmer
A pep rally at Hanes Magnet School last week featured several teachers bringing the
iconic moves from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video to life. The event was a cele
bration marking the school's successful food drive for the Winston-Salem Rescue
Mission. Read more on Bl.
World AIDS Day observed with dialogue
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE .
Area service providers
took an active approach to
celebrating World AIDS Day
on Dec. 1 by participating in
a Community Discussion
Forum led by AIDS Care
Service (ACS) at the
Piedmont Club.
The program was organ
ized by Tracie Kochanny, an
employee of the drug compa
ny Pfizer who has been work
ing at ACS through a Pfizer
fellowship program since
August.
"This event in particular
is all about awareness," said
Kochanny, a resident of
Photo hy Layla Farmer
Omar Perez takes part in a
roundtable discussion.
Michigan. "World AIDS Day
is celebrated in a big way in
countries in Africa, but here,
we really haven't recognized
the fact that the disease is
still spreading and we need to
do something about it."
In fact, ACS exists
because HIV and AIDS are
growing local issues. The
agency helps those living
with the virus and the dis
ease.
Omar Perez, 46, attended
the forum. He contracted the
HIV virus 21 years ago and
has long been a advocate for
HIV/AIDS awareness.
"As a person living with
this disease. I feel it's impor
See AIDS on A9
Healing
Minds
Around
the Globe
Wake professor 's
program takes mental
health training to
developing nations
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
A local professor is bring
ing mental health training to
countries were psychiatric ill
ness often goes unrecognized
and itntreated.
Donna Henderson, a coun
seling professor at Wake
Forest University, co-devel
oped the Mental Health
Facilitators ( MHF) program.
w n i c ji
trains
people
a r o u n d
the world
in how to
recognize
mental ill
ness and
what to do
about it.
The pro
gram,
which
j ? *
Henderson
sianea in zuus, nas aireauy
trained people in Malawi.
Malaysia, Bhutan. Romania.
Bulgaria. China and Mexico.
"It's a training to try to
provide the people who par
ticipate in it some very basic
skills in listening and under
standing a person's problem."
said Henderson.
The program was formed
after the World Health
Organization (WHO) made a
request to the National Board
of Certified Counseldrs
(NBCC) to help combat men
tal illness in some of the
world's poorest nations. The
WHO estimates there are 450
million people worldwide liv
ing with mental illness, and
most of them are not receiv
ing treatment.
NBCC, a non-profit
organization with 42,000 cer
tified councilors, turned to
Henderson and NBCC
Critical Training Coordinator
Dr. Scott Hinkle to develop
See Henderson on AS
Out With the Old
Housing Authority to renovate apartment complex
Photos by Layla Farmer
City Council Member Joycelyn Johnson
speaks at the groundbreaking.
BY LAYLA FARMER
THE CHRONICLE
Laminate flooring. Bay windows. Decorative fencing.
The amenities list of the soon-to-be upfitted Johnson
Square Apartment complex doesn't read like that of a pub
lic housing facility, and the Housing Authority of Winston
Salem doesn't want it to feel like one either.
The Housing Authority will invest $3.6 million in the
project by the time its complete in late 2010, in hopes of
creating a home address its residents can be proud of.
"These units will not look like public housing ... It's
going to be a different community," commented HAWS
CEO Larry Woods during a groundbreaking ceremony at
the complex on 10th Street Tuesday afternoon. "... We're
excited about this transformation of Johnson Square into a
development where we believe families will want to live."
The Housing Authority purchased the 32-unit complex
earlier this year. The buildings which formerly housed
three- and four-bedroom units, have been gutted to accom
modate 48, mostly one-bedroom apartments with updated
floor plans to meet the needs of the modern consumer.
See Apartments on A9
Crews are giving the Johnson Square Apartment complex a facelift.
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