NEWS

Local angles: Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Brevard, Durham, Raleigh,

Salisbury, N.C.; Atlanta; Farmington, Conn.; Dayton, Ohio

Video of blacks' milestones at UNC, awards, to highlight alumni reunion

CHAPEL HILL -- This year, something new will be part of the Black Alumni Reunion at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The 22nd annual event, set for UNC's homecoming weekend Nov. 1-2, also will have its customary activities that have attracted more than 1,000 black alumni in each of the last two years: a golf tournament, programs with UNC students, block seating at the homecoming football game, a pre-game tailgate party and networking, dance and music parties.

But this year, the alumni also will attend a gala Nov. 1 dinner, "A Celebration of African-Americans at the University of North Carolina: Our History, Our Heritage, Our Future," sponsored by numerous private donors and branches of the university.

"African-Americans first enrolled at Carolina in 1951, and Harvey Beech, the first African-American alumnus, graduated in 1952," said Richard "Stick" Williams, vice chair of the UNC Board of Trustees and chair of the UNC General Alumni Association Board of Directors. "Through the years, there have been exceptional contributions made by black faculty, students, staff and friends, helping to make UNC the leading public university. We will have much to celebrate as we observe these important milestones."

Williams, a 1975 Carolina alumnus, will be honorary co-chair of the gala with retired UNC men's basketball coach Dean Smith.

Participants will share musical tributes and spoken reflections on their times at Carolina. A video will trace milestones in the progress of African-Americans at UNC. Alumni will hear updates on current activities at UNC's Sonja Haynes Stone Black Cultural Center, Office of Minority Affairs and GAA.

The Black Alumni Reunion Committee of GAA, which plans and executes the other reunion events, will present awards at the gala. Awards and recipients will be:

The Harvey E. Beech Outstanding Alumni Awards, recognizing outstanding black alumni who have been instrumental in development of the Black Alumni Reunion and have been leaders at UNC or in their communities:

• Bryan Elliot Beatty of Raleigh, secretary of the N.C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety and head of the N.C. Terrorism Preparedness Task Force. The Salisbury native and 1987 graduate of UNC's law school was the first African-American to direct the State Bureau of Investigation, where he had been a special agent for four years. He practiced law in Columbia, S.C., before being recruited to the N.C. Department of Justice, where he was an attorney and deputy attorney general.
• Stephen Burnley Fortson of Dayton, Ohio, associate professor of counselor education and chair of the human services department at Wright State University. He is faculty adviser to the marriage and family program, coordinator of the African-American Male Mentoring Program, a member of the Athletic Council and the Minority Opportunity and Access Committee and a faculty athletic representative, protecting the welfare of student athletes and keeping track of their grades. Fortson came to UNC in 1979 on a football scholarship and lettered twice, starting as a defensive lineman in almost every game for two years.
• Joy Edith Paige of Charlotte, vice president and community development officer for Wachovia in Charlotte, a member of the advisory board for UNC's Stone Center and former member of the UNC Board of Visitors. A 1985 UNC graduate, Paige works to help the bank meet or exceed its lending and investment goals for low- to moderate-income residents and communities. She partners with community organizations to advocate affordable housing and presents workshops on financial literacy, money management and affordable home mortgages.
• Stuart Orlando Scott of Farmington, Conn., an ESPN sportscaster and Carolina's commencement speaker in May 2001. Scott, a 1987 graduate, hosts "SportsCenter" and has covered Major League Baseball playoffs, NCAA Final Fours and the NBA Finals. Scott is on the staff of "Sunday NFL Countdown" and has hosted "Edge NFL Matchup" and ESPN2's "NBA 2Night" and "SportsNight: College Football Edition." Locally, he was a news reporter for WRAL-TV in Raleigh from 1988-90.
• Kenneth Smith of Atlanta, a sports announcer for Turner Sports and the Fox Sports Network, one of Coach Smith's all-time Tar Heel greats. Kenny Smith was named Basketball Times magazine's national player of the year and chosen for the All-Atlantic Coast Conference First Team in his senior year, 1987. The sixth pick that year in the NBA draft, he played in Sacramento, Atlanta and Houston. He was starting point guard on Rockets NBA championship teams in 1994 and 1995.

The Outstanding Black Faculty/Staff Award for leadership, dedication, innovation and advancement of academic excellence:

• Dr. Archie Wilson Ervin, assistant to the chancellor and director of the UNC Office of Minority Affairs, credited in the award citation for "a never-wavering vigilance to ensure that minority students, faculty and staff view UNC … as a campus of opportunity, where ability and the desire to achieve are rewarded regardless of race." Ervin, originally from Brevard, has been at Carolina 15 years and earned a doctorate in 1999. He has developed outreach, recruiting and support programs for minority students.

The Harvey E. Beech Outstanding Senior Award to a senior with a solid academic record, excellent leadership abilities, positive volunteer work and desire to strengthen bonds between Carolina students and alumni:

• Constance Jones of Durham, daughter of Shelton M. and Katie E. Jones of 16 Aman Court. Jones is a Campus Y volunteer who tutors minority children in subsidized housing and is a resident adviser in Craige Residence Hall. She is a sorority officer, a dean's list student and president of the Black Business Student Alliance at the Kenan-Flagler Business School. She founded a Big Buddy Program that pairs minority business students with prospective students and arranges events for minorities on campus to increase knowledge of the business world. The winner of several scholarships and awards, Jones sings with two campus performance groups.

Alumni are invited to sign up for any or all of the weekend's events online at http://alumni.unc.edu/reunions/bar/default.asp; event times, places and costs also are listed. For more information, or contact GAA's Anita Walton at (919) 962-3582 or bar@unc.edu.

- 30 -

Contact: L.J. Toler, News Services, (919) 962-8589, laura_toler@unc.edu