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section tlTlje Cljailotte Thursday, August 17, 1989 LIFESTYLES AFRICAN-AMERICANWOMEN ON THE MOVE Grier Heights Honors Naomi Drenan For Community Service By LORA VAJSDERHALL lifestyles Editor The Grier Heights community will recognize Mrs. Naomi Dre nan on Sunday, August 20th, 2:30 p.m., at the Naomi Drenan Recreation Center at Grayson Park. Drenan, 94, better known as the "Mama of Grier Heights", will be honored for giving over fifty years of community service. Having moved to Grier Heights In 1922, she Is one of the oldest residents of the community. Drenan grew up In a family of 13 children and she was unable to attend school beyond the third grade. She did domestic work to help support her family . Her father had been active In the community and she followed In his footsteps. " I saw a need," she said. "I could see things my father did In the community. He had a com mon education but he had a good, solid mind." Despite the lack of a formal education she has been a posi tive force and a trallblazer In the Grier Heights community. She was one of the founders of Grier Heights Presbyterian Church. And before the church was established she taught Sunday school classes In her home. Through her efforts Bllllngsly school was built. For many years she was ac tive In getting people registered to vote and she worked with lo cal service organizations. In 1977, city park officials named the recreation center at Grayson Park after Drenan but for sometime the center was not recognized as such. She worked 18 years to get the park In the community. T!!" \ Ptiat*/CM.V>N FEHOUSON Drenan The center has 13,000 square feet of floor space which in cludes a multipurpose gym for basketball and volleyball, sev eral game rooms and a fully equipp>ed kitchen. The park also has basketball and tennis courts, a picnic shelter and playground equl - pment. Several years ago Orange Street was renamed Drenan Street In her honor. Sara Lee Gives Frontrunner Awards To Deserving Women CHICAGO - Sara Lee Corpora tion recently announced four re cipients of Its annual awards program honoring women of achievement. The 1989 Fron trunners are: Cathleen Black, publisher of USA Today, (busi ness); Nancy Landon Kasse- baum, U.S. senator from Kansas, (government); Judith L. Llcht- man, president of the Women's Legal Defense Fund, (humani ties); and Toni Morrison, author and 1988 Pulitzer Prize winner, (the arts). The Frontrunner Award was established by Sara Lee Corpo ration In 1987 to recognize women of outstanding achieve ment In the areas of business, humanities, government and the arts so that their qualities and accomplishments may Inspire In others a desire to excel. Sara Lee Corporation will make a $10,000 donation in each Frontrunner's name to a nonprofit women's organization of her choice. This donation gives each recipient the oppor tunity to extend the value of the award to a cause to which she is committed. Recipients were chosen from hundreds of nationally- submitted nominations by a se lection committee of distin guished leaders In the four awards areas. Committee mem bers are: Diana Brooks, presl-, dent, Sotheby's: Felice Schwartz, president, CATALYST; D. Ronald Daniel, director. McKlnsey & Company: Vernon E. Jordan Jr., lawyer and former National Ur ban League president; Irene Na- tividad, national chair. Nation al's Women's Political Caucus; Marian Wright Edelman, presi dent, Children's Defense Fund; Willie D. Davis, president: All- Pro Broadcasting, Inc.; Joan Manley, former group vice presi dent and director of Time Inc.; Dr. Juanita M. Kreps, vice presi dent emeritus, Duke University and former U. S. secretary of commerce: and Carol Bellamy, principal, Morgan Stanley & Company. The 1989 Frontrunners were honored at a celebration lun cheon, "A Salute to Women Who Run the World," In New York City. The event was hosted by John H. Biyan Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Sara Lee Corporation. Guests Includ ed more than 200 successful and Influential professional women. Morrison "The Frontrunner Award Is Sara Lee Corporation's way of recognizing the many far- reaching contributions and of ten hard-won goals of women In all fields," Bryan said. "This year's recipients are especially noteworthy for the vision, lead ership and professional com mitment that they have exhibit ed throughout their careers." Toni Morrison, novelist. Is the recipient of the 1989 Frontrun ner Award in the arts. Her five major novels. The Bluest Eye, Sula, Song of Solomon, Tar Baby and Beloved, have received ex tensive critical acclaim. Includ ing the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Beloved, her powerful story about the remembrances of a runaway slave, and the 1977 Na tional Book Critics Circle Award for Song of Solomon. Ms. Morrison became Robert F. Goheen Professor In The Coun cil of the Humanities at Prince ton University this spring. She was appointed to the Albert Schweitzer Chair at the Univer sity of Albany by the New York ♦ « '»♦.*»** *»«»*•»* it.m.Jt.i Hartford, Connecticut—Bishop Harris became an honorary mennber of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. Pictured (1-r) Dr. Yvonne Keimedy of Mobile Ala bama, national president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; Madeline Y. Lawson, OIney, Mary land, director of Delta's Eastern Region and Francello Phillips Calhoun, HyattsvHle, Mary land, representative and Bishop Barbara Harris (second left). Rev. Harris Becomes An Honorary Member Of Delta's Sorority Rev. Barbara Clementine Har ris, Suffragan Bishop Diocese of Massachusetts of The Episco palian Church, was recently In ducted as an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Inc., at the sorority's Eastern Regional Conference In Hart ford, Connecticut. The induction was followed by an ecumenical service In which the following Deltas participat ed: Dr. Yvonne Kennedy, nation al president of Delta Sigma The ta and trustee, Stewart Memorial Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church in Mobile, Ala.; Rev. Vashtl Murphy McKenzie, Delta chaplain: Dr. Jeanne No ble, Episcopal lay leader. New York City; Mary Redd, general superintendent. The Covenant Baptist Church School. NYC, and Alease Griffiths, Elder, Hill side Valley Presbyterian Church, Orange, NJ. Bishop Harris, 58, who met controversy surrounding her ap pointment In February as the first female Episcopal bishop, joins other social and political pioneers who are honorary Del ta members. Including Winnie Mandela, Camille Cosby, Ruby Dee, Shirley Chisholm and Lena Home. Her elevation to the Episcopal bishopric was hailed by civil rights and women's groups, but opposed by conservative ele ments of the Episcopal Church. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., based In Washington, DC, and headed by Dr. Kennedy, Is the nation's single largest black women's organization of col lege-trained women. Dr. Kenne dy described Bishop Harris as a "dynamic trallblazer whom Del ta Sigma Theta Is proud to In clude as a soror." A pubic relations executive most of her life. Bishop Harris has served as a parish priest and also as a prison chaplain. She delivered a rousing sermon at the Eastern Regional Confer ence and later at St. Monica's Episcopal Church in Hartford. Bishop Harris was very active during the Civil Rights Move ment. She picketed for city jobs with the NAACP, marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and registered voters in Mississippi. Not only was Rev. Harris' ap pointment to the bishopric a heavily debated move, but her liberal point of view on social and religious Issues have also stirred conflict. Bishop Harris' outstanding ca reer. courage and advocacy of women's rights were compelling reasons for her choice as an honorary member of Delta Sig ma Theta Sorority, Inc., Dr. Ken nedy said. Truesdale Beat The Odds To Receive A Nursing Certificate state Board of Regents In 1984 and held that post until 1989. She holds a master's degree from Cornell University and has taught at Yale, Rutgers, Stan ford, Bard College, Howard Uni versity, Texas Southern Univer sity and State University College at Purchase, N.Y. She was the Obert C. Tanner Lecturer at the University of Michigan, Ann Ar bor, and the Keannette K. Wat son Distinguished Professor at Syracuse University In the fall of 1988. Ms. Morrison was a senior edi tor in the trade department at Random House for 20 years. She Is a trustee of the New York Public Library, co-chalr of the Schomberg Commission for the Preservation of Black Cul ture, and a member of the Amer ican Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters and the Ameri can Academy of Arts and Sci ences. She served on the Nation al Council of the Arts for six years. By WINFRED CR06S Post Staff Writer Education means a great deal to Marie Truesdale. even though she had to drop out of school while In the seventh grade. But a little thing like the lack of a high school diploma didn't stop her from fulfilling one of her life's goals. The 63-year-old mother of 12 recently completed a program to become a nursing assistant. And she graduated with hon ors. Truesdale. called "Mom" by just about all that know her, re ceived a nursing assistant certif icate August 4 from American College of Allied Health In Char lotte. She has vvorked as a house keeper In the Chamber of Com merce building on Trade Street for 23 years. She got the Idea to enroll in the program from one of the school's representatives who saw her cleaning the glass doors of the buUdlng one day. "She would walk up and down the street talking to people about the school," Truesdale said. "She told me I looked like a nurse and asked If I was Interested. I had to think about it. 1 always check things out to make sure they are on the level before 1 get Into It." Once enrolled, she really got Into It. Truesdale maintained an A average during the 11-month program that Includes 30 weeks of class work and 18 weeks of clinical training. She received a special certificate for complet ing her class work with an aver age of 95. Truesdale also received a spe cial certificate for attendance, missing just two days during the program. "I always wanted to be the best at what 1 do." she said and I've al ways good with school work," she said. "I wouldn't have missed those two days but 1 had death In the family." Truesdale worked seven hours per day on her job while she worked on her certificate at night. She also had two of her 25 grandchildren (she's got 4 great- A- V nMCUVIK FtHOUlOM Truesdale grandchildren also) living with ner at the time. Her daughter, Retta Little, said that Is an ac complishment In Itself. "When I went to school, I had two kids and 1 thought they would drive me crazy." Little said. "She had those grandklds and fven took care of everybody when they got sick. I don't know how she does It but she does." But Truesdale never felt over burdened. "It wasn't difficult at all. I real ly had a lot of fun doing this. " Truesdale said. "This Is a field 1 really should have been In long ago." To get Into the program, she had to pass the school's "Ability to Benefit" evaluation, a 50 ques tion test that deteimlnes If a stu dent can enroll In a program. According to Lynne Moody, ad ministrative supervisor at American College, she passed the examination on the first try. "We are so proud of her. She did exceptionally well (during the program)," Moody said. "1 think she was a great Inspiration to all the students because she was old er and had already raised all those children." And all those children—eight daughters and four sons--are very proud of their mother. 'We think it's great. We are all very proud of her," said her daughter Retta. "It's about the best thing that's ever happened See Traesdale On Page 2B.
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