RALEIGH, N.C., Oct. 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The new 2017
Edition of The Heritage Calendar: Celebrating the North Carolina
African-American Experience is now available, AT&T*
announced today.
The publication highlights individuals from across the state who
have made a lasting impact in North
Carolina and across the country.
"Today's North Carolina is a
product of the lives and accomplishments of many extraordinary
individuals," said Venessa Harrison,
president of AT&T North Carolina. "Some of the honorees in this
year's calendar could be considered unsung heroes, while others are
more well-known. But all have made a difference for our state and
we are privileged to help tell and preserve their stories for
future generations."
As with previous editions, the North Carolina Department of
Public Instruction (DPI) convened a team of educators to prepare
lesson plans based upon the lives of the honorees. This material
will be available online as a resource for teachers across the
state.
"As students look at the accomplishments of the calendar
honorees, teachers are able to put those accomplishments in the
context of history and highlight the diversity which contributes so
much to our state's character and heritage," said June Atkinson, State Superintendent of Public
Instruction. "Each year I am proud of the creativity and
professionalism of the North
Carolina teachers who wrote the curriculum materials, and
energized by their passion for students and learning."
Coming from across North
Carolina, the Class of 2017 represents a wide variety of
fields, including education, architecture, youth programs,
philanthropy, local government, athletics, media, and community
service.
The individuals spotlighted in the 2017 Heritage Calendar
are:
- Dell Curry – The first
player selected by the new Charlotte Hornets in the 1988 expansion
draft, he became one of the franchise's most popular players and
created the Dell Curry Foundation, which helped give young people
guidance and life skills they needed for future success.
- Joe Dudley, Sr. and
Eunice Dudley – Determined
entrepreneurs, they created their own line of beauty products and
grew their company into one of the most well-known in the
industry.
- The late Anne Cannon
Forsyth – Born into a life of privilege, she became a
champion for traditionally under-represented people, with an
intense focus on desegregation of public schools and equal
educational opportunity for all.
- Philip G. Freelon – One
of America's pre-eminent architects, and an alumnus of NC State
University, he led the design team for the new Smithsonian National
Museum of African-American History and Culture.
- Paul R. Jervay, Jr. – As
a third-generation journalist, he ensured that his family
newspaper, The Carolinian, provided an outlet for voices within its
community, while also being a voice for the benefit of the
community.
- The Rev. Richard Jones –
A minister and agricultural educator, he founded a community center
whose programs teach skills and life lessons for young people,
while helping provide fresh, healthy produce for the rural
community.
- Hattie "Chatty Hatty" Leeper – The first female
African-American radio broadcaster in Charlotte, her vivacious on-air personality
made her a community favorite and an industry leader.
- The late Clarence
Lightner – A Raleigh
businessman, he was the first African American elected mayor of a
major Southern city, with a lifelong commitment to education and
public service.
- The late Victoria Casey
McDonald – A teacher and historian, she was a pioneer in
incorporating multi-cultural education into her public school
classroom while conducting groundbreaking research on African
Americans in western North
Carolina.
- Christopher Suggs – At
age 14, he founded a non-profit dedicated to empowering
Kinston's young people through
service, leadership and civic engagement, while stressing the
importance of staying in school.
- Millie Dunn Veasey –
Whether serving overseas in the U.S. Army in World War II, leading
the NAACP's Wake County chapter,
or assisting neighbors complete tax forms, she has been making a
difference for others for nearly a century.
- Richard "Stick" and Teresa
Williams – The first couple to each serve as chair of
the Board of Trustees at a University of North
Carolina institution, they have a passionate commitment to
higher education and to community service.
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the College
of Arts and Sciences at Western Carolina
University, PNC Bank, The News & Observer, Capitol
Broadcasting Company/WRAL-TV and Sheraton Raleigh Hotel serve as
primary supporters on The Heritage Calendar project.
Media resources
Images of the 2016 honorees, in high-
and low-resolution formats, as well as the published bios, may be
downloaded from
http://ncheritagecalendar.com/media/media-center-2017/
To download an electronic copy of the calendar, click here.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by
subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T
brand and not by AT&T Inc.
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