The JW Ligon Class of 1968 meeting convened at 3:01 PM with the President Toney Bethea presiding.
Present: Carolyn Ratliff, Mildred McKinley Clinton, Portia Tomlinson, Clarence Merritt, Michael Dae, Leotha Forte, Clarence Williams, Alice Banks Lambright, Toney Bethea and Janet Howard
The President welcomed everyone. There were no changes to the meeting agenda. The treasurer, Alice, presented a detailed financial report including current class account balance. Toney updated the class re: the post office box (closed effective Feb. 28, 2022), the last mtg minutes from Sept. 2018 & the purpose for the meeting.
ACTIONS:
- Attendees decided to plan Friday & Saturday activities for our 55th celebration. Portia confirmed that there are no complete plans by the Alumni Association for a Saturday and Sunday event. The class decided to adjust plans if the Alumni presents activities for 2023.
- Janet and Toney will follow up w/the persons who indicated on the Google form interest in the Scholarship, Communication (send your news, announcements, updated contact info, esp., for those we can send ‘thinking of you cards’, etc.) and Newsletter activities.
- One suggestion was that some members are amenable to a tax deductible donation to the scholarship fund.
- Class agreed that the assessment for our 55th celebration is $150.
- Toney and others interested will identify an electronic payment method, eg PayPal, CashApp, etc.
- Class agreed to Toney’s suggestion to use Boomerang to track emails - opening, reading, deleting.
- Portia and Janet will compare class email lists to ensure we can connect with as many class members as possible.
- The class will begin
a compilation of teacher interviews.
- Mildred volunteered to interview Mrs.
Virginia Newell, 104, who resides in Winston-Salem.
- Portia will share w/Toney her contact list of JW Ligon teachers she compiled for our 50th.
- Monthly meetings will convene on the 3rd Sunday, 5 PM - 6 PM.
A BIG THANK YOU to all present.
Adjournment- 3:32 PM
CONDOLENCES
Annette Exum and family on the passing of her sister Ouida Exum (see earlier email.
Joyce Fleming Fray on the passing of her two sisters Jeanette Fleming Clinding and Dorothy Fleming Morton, both within 1 month and 3 days of each other. Joyce is the last sibling of eight.
Our prayers and thoughts are with Annette and Joyce and all of our class members experiencing loss and challenges.
DID YOU KNOW?
- Ray and Cheryl Merritt are expecting . . .. a granddaughter. Chelsea Merritt Johnston and her husband Adam are expecting their first child, a baby girl, in June. The couple resides in Wake Forest. Congratulations Ray and Cheryl.
- Clarence Williams invited everyone in the Raleigh area to visit a special exhibit called “We Built This: Profiles of Black Architects and Builders in North Carolina and Plantation to Park”. The was on display at Dix Park in the old chapel thru the end of February. It featured builders that many of us knew like John Winters, Millard Peebles, Phil Freelon, Calvin Lightner ( Mayor Clarence Lightner’s father) and many others. Featured were many of the black churches and iconic buildings on our NC HBCU’s. How many knew that Duke University’s east campus, including the famous Duke Chapel, was designed by a black architect?
Shall your news and events.
https://archive.org/details/echoserial1968john - Thank you Evelyn Lewis for our Digitized Echo 1968
