INC NEWS - Honors await 17 community superstars (today's Herald-Sun)

[John Schelp]

Honors await 17 community superstars
Herald-Sun, 28 Sept 2005

Alice Walker recalls the Fourth of July in 1950 as a
scorcher.

It was so hot outside that the neighborhood children
who usually gathered to play kickball in the back yard
of her Club Boulevard home were just sitting around
fanning themselves, Walker recalls.

So Walker went inside and grabbed some red, white and
blue crepe paper and a few small American flags and
told the children to decorate their bicycles and
tricycles. Then she asked her husband, Tom, to
persuade the youth to march down the sidewalk along
Club Boulevard.

"They thought that would be a great idea," Walker
said. "They were just as prim and proper, and they
were very serious about it ... and when they got back
up in the yard they said, 'Let's do it again.' "

That's how the Watts Hospital-Hillandale Fourth of
July parade got its start. The parade has since grown,
and now a portion of Club Boulevard is closed for the
marchers. Walker, 86, says she's been to nearly every
one and watched the parade from inside an
air-conditioned car this year.

Walker will be honored by the InterNeighborhood
Council tonight as a neighborhood hero for introducing
the tradition to Watts Hospital-Hillandale. The
organization is also recognizing 15 other Bull City
residents for their good neighbor deeds.

The "heroes" will be honored during an invitation-only
banquet tonight at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf
Club. The banquet will also celebrate the
InterNeighborhood Council's 20th birthday by
recognizing the 17 people who have served as the
organization's president.

"Almost every single one of your neighborhood heroes
don't do it for recognition, and they tend to want to
shy away from [being recognized]," said INC President
Bill Anderson. "But their neighborhood feels they
deserve their five minutes of fame, and that's one of
the reasons we put this thing on."

That's certainly the case with Walker, who says she
doesn't deserve the honor, but the Watts
Hospital-Hillandale Neighborhood Association felt
differently.

Debra Kelly nominated Walker on behalf of the
association, saying that the parade "is still one of
the most endearing and enduring aspects of life in
Watts Hospital-Hillandale." Walker has since moved out
of her Club Boulevard home and resides in the
Croasdaile Village retirement community.

Walker is not the only "hero" who is modest about the
award. St. Theresa resident Raymond Euroguhart was
nominated by Forest Hills resident Randy Pickle in
part for helping to organize a large one-day cleanup.
But Euroguhart doesn't intend to accept the award.

"I'm just not into picking out one person," Euroguhart
said. "What I'm doing is I'm standing on the shoulders
of people who have been trying to tackle the problems
of this community for years."

--- Here is a quick look at the other winners, their
neighborhoods and why they were chosen:

Frances Brown

Hillandale Carver

Frances Brown watches over her neighbors. She's a
captain in the District 2 Partners Against Crime
Citizen Observer Patrol and keeps a lookout for
anything suspicious. Brown is also a neighborhood
watch block captain.

But Brown doesn't focus just on her neighbors. The
graduate of the Durham Citizens Police Academy is
helping establish the Citizen Observer Patrol program
in police District 1.

Allen Muir

Placid Valley

When residents in the Placid Valley subdivision get
together for neighborhood picnics and parties, it's
likely to be at the home of Allen Muir. For several
years, Muir has been a generous host who refuses
payment for the get-togethers, his neighbors say.

Muir is also a professional landscaper who donates his
time and energy to keep the entrance to the
subdivision looking spiffy.

Fred Foster Jr.

Old Farm

Abandoned vehicles, weedy lots and potholes in the Old
Farm neighborhood are probably scared of Fred Foster
Jr. That's because Foster doesn't tolerate the
nuisances, and his neighbors say he is quick to
follow-up with the city to get rid of the eyesores.

Foster's neighbors also credit him with helping
reactivate the Old Farm Neighborhood Watch program,
re-establishing the neighborhood association and
securing more street lights for the area.

Spring Davis

Morehead Hill

The Morehead Hill community newsletter wouldn't be the
same if it weren't for editor Spring Davis. The
professional graphic designer contributes her time to
design and proofread "More News," which is distributed
to nearly 500 households.

Davis also handles other behind-the-scenes tasks to
make sure the newsletter comes out on time.

George and Dorothy Vick

Colonial Village

If you walk by George and Dorothy Vick's State Street
home, neighbors say you're likely to see the couple
sitting out front greeting passers-by. For nearly 60
years, the couple has offered support to neighbors in
times of need -- be it a death in the family or the
birth of a baby.

George, 85, once planted grass for a widowed neighbor.
Neighbors say George is a grand storyteller who also
shares helpful gardening and home repair advice.

Dorothy, 92, also has some interesting tales. But it's
her cooking that wins over most neighbors. She shares
her baked and canned goods with new arrivals, sick
neighbors and during cookouts. She even cooked
individual pecan pies for a neighbor's wedding.

Jim Dronsfield

Pebblecreek

The Pebblecreek neighborhood inside American Village
scored when resident Jim Dronsfield retired. Since his
retirement, neighbors say Dronsfield has committed
himself to keeping the community spirit alive.

Dronsfield checks on the clubhouse facilities and
pool, gives rides to the airport and even helped when
the neighborhood converted to trash receptacles. He
also stops to chat with neighbors when he takes walks.

Andrew Preiss

Duke Park

Andrew Preiss was thrilled when Duke Park's
paint-chipped playground equipment dating from the
1940s was finally replaced this summer. He's been
working with the city since 1999 to make sure promised
park renovations came to fruition, keeping his
neighbors informed along the way.

Preiss, who played in the park as a child, also helped
keep the park's historic bathhouse from being razed.
Now he's working with a committee to turn it into a
community center.

Frances Parker

Croasdaile Village

When Frances Parker buys a greeting card on behalf of
a group, she makes sure it's signed by everyone. As
hospitality chairwoman for the independent living
area, Parker regularly visits each of the 24 residents
to gather their signatures for neighborhood get-well
or birthday cards.

She helps other residents of the retirement community
maintain their independence by putting drops in their
eyes after surgery or bringing meals to residents who
cannot walk. She even feeds residents in the special
care units who cannot feed themselves.

Lisa Pitts

Northgate Park

It took a little pleading, but Lisa Pitts managed to
convince several neighbors to hit the pavement and
deliver the Northgate Park newsletter. Pitts created a
delivery map to help ensure the letter gets into her
neighbors' hands, then convinced her neighbors to
serve as carriers.

Come December, Pitts also ensures luminarias are
placed around Northgate Park during the neighborhood's
"Night of Lights." No matter the weather, she spends
hours counting, filling and setting out the bags.

Alma McCauley

Cambridge Village

If parents and seniors don't have time for children,
then the Rev. Alma McCauley worries that gangs do. So
McCauley organizes young citizens meetings to teach
youth about self-control, prayer and spiritual
singing.

McCauley, pastor and founder of the Father Son
Holiness Church, has been spotted in the scorching
summer heat going door-to-door in her neighborhood to
distribute agendas for the meetings. She also has
invited her small congregation into the streets to
pray for the city.

Betty Greene and Kelly Jarrett

Old West Durham

When Betty Greene moved into Kelly Jarrett's duplex in
Old West Durham a little over 10 years ago, neighbors
say the women were targets of racist and homophobic
harassment by several of the area's residents.

Gunshots regularly rang out. Police eventually were
able to catch three men walking up and down the street
shouting derogatory comments aimed at the women.
Later, the men were prosecuted for ethnic
intimidation.

Afterward, Greene and Jarrett joined other neighbors
in forming the Old West Durham Neighborhood
Association. Neighbors say the women were insistent on
incorporating the words "diversity, harmony,
community" into the group's bylaws.

Since then, the women have helped promote the
neighborhood's "Night of Lights," worked on traffic
calming measures and community policing. Jarrett is
also working to help the neighborhood develop
relationships with property managers who lease units
in Old West Durham and throughout the city.

Randy Pickle

Forest Hills

Forest Hills residents can count on Randy Pickle if a
fallen tree needs to be cleared, if "touchy"
neighborhood issues need to be resolved or if a
cleanup needs to be organized.

For the second year in a row, Pickle is being honored
as the Forest Hills neighborhood hero for his efforts
to keep an eye out for the neighborhood. Pickle also
manages the Forest Hill's Web site and the
neighborhood's e-mail list serve.

Kim Willis

Old North Durham

When stray animals roam the streets of Old North
Durham or wildlife in the area behaves oddly, chances
are neighbors are going to call Kim Willis.

Willis has served as a liaison between Durham Animal
Control and residents, offering information and advice
on what to do with animals. The Old North Durham
resident serves on the Animal Control Advisory Board
and has helped neighbors with pet problems including
offering information to a neighbor whose cat was
mauled to death by a pair of roaming dogs.

Elaine Jones

Royal Oaks

When Elaine Jones leaves Mt. Vernon Missionary Baptist
Church on Sundays, she's got some meals to serve. The
Royal Oaks resident has started her own "meals on
wheels" program.

She buys food, cooks it to meet different dietary
needs and delivers it after church to local elderly
residents who don't have family living in the area. If
Jones has to head out of town, she prepares the meals
ahead of time.