Robert Eller, right, hosted a live Monday evening call-in radio show, "Let's
Talk Sports" on WAAA, which often included legendary WSSU Coach Clarence
"Big House" Gaines, seen at left.
Photos courtesy of The Robert Eller Family
Recent photo of Robert Eller
Eller
from page A1 ~
halls of The Chronicle's
office, but have now been
given to Eller's family. Pitt
said the spots where those
awards hanged will remain
empty in honor of Eller.
Eller was born in
Boomer, N.C., and attend
ed school in Wilkes
County. He earned an asso
ciate degree in Arts/English
and Journalism from
Wilkes Community
College, a bachelor's
degree from WSSU and a
master's degree from the
University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill.
His sports reporting
went beyond the written
word. He became the Voice
of the Rams as a public
address announcer for
WSSU sports. He hosted a
live Monday evening call
in radio show, "Let's Talk
Spots" on WAAA, which
often included legendary
WSSU Coach Clarence
"Big House" Gaines and
national guests he'd inter
view over the phone. Eller
also became a BET
Budweiser sports reporter.
Winston-Salem
Recreation and Parks
Director Tim Grant was a
player for the champi
onship-winning WSSU
basketball team in the late
'70s when he met Eller,
who was one of the few
newspaper reporters cover
ing WSSU sports. After
Grant graduated from
WSSU, he was a coach
there in the 1980s and Eller
covered his Lady Rams
Softball team winning
repeated CIAA champi
onships. He said Eller was
an exceptional sports writer
"Without a doubt, he
was one of the best," Grant
said
Along with sports
reporting, Eller had a long
career with the Parks and
Recreation Department
beginning in 1975. During
his 30-year career, he
worked at Old Town,
Georgia Taylor, Sprague,
Happy Hill and Little
Creek recreation centers.
Eller did pioneering
work with special popula
tions in the recreation
department, including
bringing Beep Ball for
blind Softball players to the
state. He coached the
Smokers wheel chair bas
ketball team. Eller also
served as the chairman of
the local Special Olympics
and coached a gold medal
winning Special Olympics
team.
Grant said Eller had the
perfect skill set for his
work.
"He had the perfect atti
tude to work in parks and
rec," he said. "Because he
enjoyed people, he was
interested in all people,
always had something
humorous to say, was
always willing to help any
and everybody, and he was
one of those employees
who wasn't always watch
ing the clock. He would
work until he got the job
done."
Eller's wife, Dianna,
whom Eller married in
2003 after a long courtship,
said he truly enjoyed his
work at local recreation
centers.
"He loved raising the
city of Winston-Salem's
children," she said.
After he retired in 2005,
he became actively
involved in his church,
First Baptist Church on
Highland Avenue. She said
he continued to work with
children with his best
friend. Dr. William Warren,
through First Baptist's Kids
for Christ (KFC) ministry.
She said Eller was volun
teering with the church up
until the day he passed
away.
She said he was quick
witted and well read and
always had something to
say about everything. She
said he was compassionate
and helped anyone he came
across who needed help.
"He was a Samaritan,"
she said. "There was no he
could pass on the road."
Eller had three chil
dren, Marcus Dixon, Jamar
Eller Crawford and
Jamailya Eller-Mathews,
along with 11 grand
children. Eller-Mathews
said her father touched the
lives of many children in
Forsyth County, especially
those who needed it the
most.
"Daddy could reach
anybody," she said. "It
seems like the toughest
ones, the ones everybody
kind of threw their hands
up to, he'd be more patient
with them, he'd let them
know he really cared, and
he did. He was always able
to reach the kids that most
people had given up on."
Eller-Mathews has fond
childhood memories of her
father, who she said was a
kid at heart with a great
sense of humor. He'd ride
all the roller coasters with
her at Carowinds. He
would play Cabbage Patch
Kids with her. She took
him as her date to her sen
ior prom, where he danced
a "Soul Train" line, and she
said what he lacked in
rhythm, he more than made
up for in enthusiasm.
She also spent time
with her father at his recre
ation job. It exposed her to
people with different dis
abilities and made her see
beyond those disabilities.
She said Beep Ball was
"awesome to watch." She
said she'll never forget all
the things he taught her.
"He was just the best
dad. He just had an awe
some way of making me
feel loved," she said. "And
he was just a great man,
great friend, great son and
an awesome person, and he
will be missed, but I feel
his spirit every day."
" r 71
; * - *
PROJECT
Wc Care
at the
ANNUAL CITYWIDE
NEIGHBORHOOD CONFERENCE
Saturday, Sept. 12
Doors open at 10 a.m.
Neal Bolton Home and
Garden Building at the
Winston-Salem Fairgrounds.
Enter through Gate 9 on
27th Street
FOOD
DRIVE!
Please bring a
canned food item to
benefit the Second
Harvest Food Banh
A
? Mix & Mingle!
? Updates on City Programs & Services
? Music by the Community Band and
First Baptist Church Mass Choir
? Recognition of Community Volunteers
? Bus Tour of Bond Project Sites
? Food, Fun and Giveaways!
Free, but pre-registration requested.
To pre-register:
E-mail Chris Mach,
chrislm@cityofws.org; 734-1255
or Regina Hall,
reginafh@cityofws.org; 734-1238
Id)
WnstonSakm
A PROGRAM OF THE COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. CITY OF WINSTON-SALEM
IN SUPPORT OF NATIONAL SERVICE DAY
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