2016

INDIVIDUAL INDUCTEES

Dr. Bill D. Brittain

Thousands of individuals throughout Raleigh and the Carolinas have been touched by Dr. Bill D. Brittain’s compassion and caring for displaced youth, adults and families since he first came to Raleigh in 1968 as resident director of the Methodist Home for Children. In 1976 out of an office in Raleigh’s Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Bill began what would become Lutheran Family Services of the Carolinas in 1991. With one part-time employee, Bill worked relentlessly to provide better care and services for troubled youth by placing them in group homes where counseling and adequate supervision was available. When he retired in 2001, Lutheran Family Services was the largest non-profit dedicated to youth and family services in the state with a staff of 450, six counseling centers, 400 foster homes and 50 group homes for adults and children with special needs. He also volunteered with his wife at the Wake Correctional Center helping inmates who were being discharged and he coached Meredith College’s softball team during his retirement.

Gov. J. Melville Broughton

The only Raleigh native to be elected governor of the state, Gov. J. Melville Broughton was an instrumental civic and political leader. Several measures were enacted under him as governor which the City of Raleigh and the state still benefit from today. Under his leadership (1941-1945), the state was the first in the country to appropriate funds for a symphony – the North Carolina Symphony. His administration also supported funding for the North Carolina Museum of Art and public libraries. It was also during his time in office that a retirement plan for state employees and teachers was created. His contributions to the city prior to being elected governor include serving as President of the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, as a member of the Raleigh School Board and city attorney. He also was a trustee of Shaw University and the Olivia Raney Library. After serving as governor, he was elected to the United States Senate in 1948.

Jill Staton Bullard

Jill Staton Bullard, as co-founder of the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle (IFFS), has been a champion for ending hunger in Raleigh and surrounding counties for over 25 years. In 1989 with a friend’s help she began recovering unserved food from local restaurants and distributing the food to local soup kitchens and shelters. During the first year, 750 pounds of food was recovered and shared with the community. Last year over six million pounds of food was recovered and distributed to over three hundred organizations to feed the hungry. Throughout the years, Jill has worked to provide not just fresh and nutritious food but the tools to end food insecurities through education. IFFS provides education programs on careers in food service, urban gardening and nutritious meal preparation to further reduce hunger. Through her never-ending desire to erase hunger in our community, hard work and collaboration with others, IFFS is a leader and example for others across the country in addressing food insecurity.

Mary Josephine Conrad Cresimore

For fifty years, Mary Josephine Conrad Cresimore (Jo) has contributed to the City of Raleigh as a volunteer, leader and fundraiser for many local organizations.  A supporter of the arts and humanities, Jo has served the North Carolina Museum of Art for 50 years and been a leading member of the Raleigh Fine Arts Society for 48 years.  During the 1970s she led the effort to convince the Raleigh City Council to establish the Raleigh Arts Commission (the first such commission in the state) dedicated to enhancing the city through art.  Among her many fundraising roles, she helped organize the initial art auction to raise funds for what is now the Alliance of AIDS Services Carolina.  Jo is also recognized for her efforts in preserving Mordercai Historic City Park and as a Board of Trustees member of the North Carolina Symphony.  Her commitment to the arts and humanities led to an appointment by President Ronald Reagan to the National Council on the Humanities bringing national recognition to the City of Oaks.

Dr. Anne McLaurin

In 1976, Anne McLaurin accepted a position with Wake Health Services as a physician. This would begin her many years of service to the City of Raleigh not only as a professional but as a volunteer and promoter for healthcare, children, affordable housing and community involvement. Some of the organizations she has impacted are Wake County Health Services, the Crosby Clinic, Rex Certificate Program for Screening Mammography, Alliance Medical Ministries, Wake County School Board, and the Boylan Heights and Chavis Heights neighborhoods. Not only did she support these organizations but she took a personal interest in several individuals who crossed her path over the years developing friendships and mentoring them as they sought to improve their own lives as well as those around them. For the past thirty-nine years, Anne McLaurin has strived to make Raleigh a better place whether it was in the public eye as a Wake County School Board member, a doctor or quietly as a friend to someone in need.

Dr. J. C. Raulston

Dr. J. C. Raulston encouraged his students, colleagues and friends to “plan and plant for a better world.” He did just that himself when he founded an arboretum in 1976 as a faculty member of NC State University’s Department of Horticulture Science. The arboretum began as a teaching and research facility. Today, the ten-acre research garden now named for JC who died in 1996 is enjoyed and used by students, green industry professionals and visitors around the world. The arboretum, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, is visited by over 100,000 people yearly and is a vital part of the Raleigh community. In addition to touring its grounds, visitors can participate in a variety of events ranging from educational to fun for the family. His legacy can also be found throughout the city. In his will he included funds from his estate for the city’s park system to plant flowering trees for twenty years.

O. Temple Sloan, Jr.

In 1961, O. Temple Sloan decided to relocate his business, General Parts Warehouse, to Raleigh from Sanford. With this move he would provide thousands of jobs to area residents for several decades. During this time he created CarQuest Auto Parts, an auto parts supplier acquired by Advance Auto Parts, Inc. in 2014, and co-founded Highwoods Property where he serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Temple has also supported the youth and families of Raleigh through his over forty year involvement with the Capitol Area YMCA and his support of area Boy Scouts as a board member of the Occoneechee Council for over twenty-five years. As an original member of the Centennial Arena Authority, he also helped bring the PNC Arena to life as a venue for college basketball, national hockey games and a variety of live entertainment shows.

Cliffornia Wimberley

An educator and activist, Cliffornia Wimberley helped shape the current Wake County Public School System into the successful and nationally recognized system it is today through her leadership and dedication to education and the community. In 1954, Cliffornia was recruited from Mt. Olive to teach elementary school in one of Raleigh’s African-American schools. Later she would teach at Meredith College and mentor future African-American school teachers. In the early 1970s, she made history when she and fellow African-American, Vernon Malone, were elected to the Raleigh School Board. She was vital to the success of integrating the city schools, merging the city and county systems and bringing the magnet program to Wake County. As a member of the national organization, Panel of American Women, she travelled across the country to help ease tensions due to cultural differences. She was active in many local organizations, among them: Meals on Wheels, Hospice of Wake County (now Transitions LifeCare), the Girl Scouts, and the Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association.

ORGANIZATION INDUCTEES

Boys and Girls Clubs of Wake County

Fifty years ago in downtown Raleigh, a group of citizens gathered to incorporate the Boys Club of Wake County, Inc. From the first day of operation, the club welcomed all boys regardless of race. Since then, the club has provided a safe, positive and inclusive place for children ages six to 18 to go to after school and during school breaks. The staff, volunteers and board members work year-round to fulfill the clubs’ mission: “To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.” In 1967, when the first club opened in downtown, less than 200 boys participated in club activates. The club has seen continued growth and in 1988 the club opened a center for girls, becoming the Boys and Girls Clubs of Wake County. Today, the clubs welcome 5,000 boys and girls annually to its five centers in Raleigh and one each in Zebulon and Wake Forest.

Triangle Family Services, Inc.

Since 1937, Triangle Family Services (TFS) has served as the safety net for families in crisis. Triangle Family Services accomplishes its mission of, “Building a Stronger Community by Strengthening the Family”, through its three core program areas including, Family Safety, Financial Stability and Mental Health. Triangle Family Services has been a part of our community going on 80 years providing data-driven services to more than 13,000 families annually, with a 90% success rate. 86% of the clients served being at or below poverty. Triangle Family Services’ reputation for efficient and high quality programming, concise and accurate reporting of outcomes, as well as its established relations with community partner and non-profit referral services, position our agency to continue to meet the growing needs of families in crisis throughout the Triangle. Triangle Family Services commitment to utilizing wrap-around services, and a case management model to secure stability, is simply one example of best practices at work positioning Triangle Family Services as an industry leader.

CENTENNIAL INDUCTEES

Dr. Calvin Jones 1775-1846

Calvin Jones moved to North Carolina as a young physician in 1795. He was the first physician in the state to inoculate people against smallpox. He established the North Carolina Medical Society and was highly regarded for his work in ophthalmology. Beyond his medical career, he provided leadership in both the political and military arena, serving as Raleigh’s mayor in 1803 and as a representative in the House of Commons in 1807. As the state’s chief military officer during the War of 1812, he led the efforts that kept the British war fleet from invading the North Carolina coast. He was the publisher of the RALEIGH STAR and a member of the UNC Board of Trustees for 30 years. He helped found numerous schools in northern Wake County, including the Wake Forest Manual Labor Institute, which eventually became Wake Forest College.

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