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THE-CH RON IC LE
660 West Fifth Street
Volume39,Number49 Wintfon-SateW\ff ftsfgTON-SALEM, N.C. THURSDAY, August 1, 2013
Photo by Layla Garms
Tony Burton III stands outside the new Mudpies.
Weight-loss
impetus lor
new lease
on life
BY LAYLA GARMS
THE CHRONICLE
If you were acquainted with Dr. Tony Burton HI a
decade ago, you might not recognize him today.
That's because Burton, the CEO of Northwest
Child Development Centers, has reduced his body
weight by two thirds. The former athlete, who tipped
the scales at a whopping 6S0 pounds in 2004, now
weighs in at under 240, a weight the six foot two
father of three hasn't seen since his middle school
days.
"I'd always been big," said the University of
tennesse at
Martin alumnus.
"1 was a football
player. In high
school, I played
at about 330
pounds."
Burton,
remained active
throughout his
college career,
playing football
all four years as
an undergrad, but
after graduation,
his physical
activity waned,
and his weight
began to creep
' UP
"I was always
a hio ealer"
? ? -C
related the Richmond, Va. native. "1 just didn't have
the activity to take care of it."
Despite his considerable stature. Burton said he
was always mobile, confident and light on his feet,
refusing to allow his weight to interfere with his life.
Around 2002, Burton says his health began to suffer.
"I started developing high blood pressure, started
having difficulty with my legs and back," the 46 year
old recalled. "...I decided I needed to make a change
in my life."
Burton began to diet and exercise, but says the
fluctuations in his weight only served to frustrate him.
He consulted several physicians about pursuing more
permanent weight loss solutions, but was advised
against undergoing surgery because it was too risky
for a man of his size. Burton said, noting that his
chances of survival were around 50 percent.
After two years of prayer and deliberation, Burton
decided the reward was well worth the risk. In April
2004, he underwent duodenal switch surgery, where a
portion of the intestines and stomach are removed. It
was the most drastic - and the most invasive - gastric
bypass surgery offered at the time, and Burton says
the challenges surfaced right away.
"Going into the surgery, I knew that there was a
Sec Burton on All
Submitted PtwK
The old Tony Burton.
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Stars come to town for National Black Theatre Festival
Staff Photo
(From left, front row, squatting) Antonio Fargas and Tonea Stewart with playwright Micki Grant
(center) and (fron left, backrow) Andre DeShields, director Charles Randolph-Wright, Taurean
Blacque, S. Epatha Merkerson, Tonya Pinkins, Rain Pryor, Dawnn Lewis, Saundra McClain and
Winston-Salem's own Fay Hauser-Price.
Award celebrates legacy of NBTF founder
BY LAYLA GARMS
THE CHRONICLE
National Black Theatre Festival Executive
A
Producer Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin was feted for
her leadership of the National
Black Theatre Festival on
Sunday, the eve of the start of
the 2013 NBTF.
Sprinkle-Hamlin has been
hands on at both the NBTF
and its parent organization.
North Carolina Black
Repertory Company, since the
death of her husband. Larry
Leon Hamlin, in 2007.
The Black Theatre
Network (BIN) honored her
with the inaugural Larry Leon Hamlin Legacy
Award during its Luncheon and Legacy
Celebration at the Brookstown Inn. The Network,
See Hamlin on A4
rrokiw I jmauarmn
Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin accepts the Larry Leon Hamlin
Legacy Award from BTN President Michael Dinwiddie.
Hamlin
She Will Always Love Her
Honoree remembers her onscreen daughter
? BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE .
Whitney Houston was just her on-screen
daughter, but Starletta DuPois reacted to her
death the way a real mom would
"I screamed," the veteran actress said
Monday. "I was so shocked ... I am still griev
ing"
DuPois played the mother of Houston's
character. Savannah Jackson, in the 1995 film
version of "Waiting to Exhale." The duo's tele
phone exchanges are among the movie's most
memorable scenes.
DuPois was slated to join Houston, Angela
Bassett, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon in a sequel to the film
in February 2012 when Houston died at age 48.
See DuPois on A5
Houston
I ?i III I HJHB
Staff PTkXp
Show-biz vet Starletta DuPois.
Carolina's Vineyards and Hops offers one-of-kind experience
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BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
i
Those looking to taste wine and draft beers from brew
eries and vineyards around the state have to travel no fur
ther than Carolina's Vineyards and Hops (CV&H) on
South Marshall Street.
CV&H is a tasting lounge with a unique concept: it jj
carries only products produced here in North Carolina. Its I
menu offers new selections every two weeks, constantly I
offering customers a different experience, and its selec- I
See CV&H on A2 I
Photos by Todd Luck
Owner
Christopher
Megginson
(left) and
Mike
Robinson
(far left) tout
C V & H ' s
uniqueness.
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of Winston-Salem, LLC
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