For the sixth year, Halifax Community College held its Saluting Our Local African-American Heroes celebration.
Honors were bestowed on six community leaders and two HCC students during the Feb. 21 ceremony held at The Centre. The Presidential Posthumous Award was bestowed on a recipient for the first time.
Senator Edwards Jones was honored posthumously.
Betty Rose Bennett
Betty Bennett’s volunteer services are innumerable.
Betty began her volunteer services in 1979. She has been a full-time teacher in the Weldon School District and part-time substitute in the Halifax County School System. She was also employed as the coordinator of the Competency Remediation Lab at what was Northampton County High School-West. Betty has greatly influenced and uplifted the community through serving as parent coordinator for Northampton County Schools where she consistently showed her untiring dedication and concern for parents and children. Betty is a pillar of the community and is often called on for assistance, playing a major role in helping parents and schools maintain discipline through motivational words and encouragement.
Her unique ability to understand children makes it easy for her to quickly arrange tutorial sessions in her home. She even gave up a paid vacation in order to tutor two young boys who were not passing. She spent her summer with them and they passed.
Bishop William H. Cheek Sr.
Bishop William H. Cheek Sr. is the 90-year-old pastor and founder of Evangelistic Church of Deliverance in Weldon.
For many years, he has contributed to the spiritual, emotional, financial and physical needs of thousands of residents in the Roanoke Valley area.
Bishop Cheek is a native of Halifax County who served his country in the U.S. Army from 1942-46. Upon his return home, he married the love of his life, the former Lucille Parker. He is a sincere and loving family man who has been married to his virtuous wife for 65 years. The couple has seven children and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
From 1969 when the ministry was started until today, Bishop Cheek has been a vibrant servant of God and exhibits commitment as he contributes to the community.
In 2013, that unselfishness has blossomed into many ministries of the church.
Bishop Cheek has shown initiative, innovation and leadership in the region. He is not only a spiritual leader, but also a wise businessman. He has led the ministry through many milestones. The church started in his home and later moved to a storefront near the present location. Later a movie theater was purchased and renovated as the main sanctuary. After attendance increased, a need for another building became evident. In 2001, a building was constructed for more than $1 million that could seat 1,100 people. Bishop Cheek had the initiative to take on the building project challenge in his 80s. The church is paid for and a mortgage-free service was held in 2012 to the glory of God.
Belinda Jones Hill
Belinda Jones Hill stands out among African Americans in the Roanoke Valley because of her genuine care and concern for others in the community.
Belinda works at Halifax Regional Medical Center as the manager of the Intensive Care Unit, which is a very busy unit.
Belinda finds the time to go above and beyond the call of duty for her staff to ensure that they are in a position to provide the best care possible for patients.
While Belinda is certainly busy in her role as a nurse manager, she also takes the time to serve on the Halifax County Board of Health.
During the fall of 2012, Belinda helped the breast cancer coalition sponsor a conference on breast cancer care with the goal to improve care for African-American women in the Roanoke Valley.
Belinda is a member of Quankey Baptist Church where she is very active. She annually spearheads a coat drive for the needy in the community through her church. During the fall each year, Belinda volunteers and picks up sweet potatoes that she provides for church and community members to help promote healthy eating and provide for the needy. In addition, she is the leader in moving her church to support the local domestic violence shelter, Hannah’s Place, through financial contributions and volunteering as a Hannah’s Place board member.
Reginald Hux (HCC student)
Reginald Hux has been entrusted with many qualities that he uses in support of HCC and the community. He is a dedicated husband, caring father, role model student at HCC and a dedicated church member at Roanoke Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Jackson.
Reginald is a devoted and academically gifted student at HCC. He is also very loyal and dedicated to the success of the HCC Preparing Men for Intellectual, Academic & Educational Program.
Reginald is a presidential scholar, a member of the Men of Distinction, the president of PRIDE, a 2012-13 Men of Color Student Leadership Institute fellow, a Halifax Equity Action Leader Learning and Action program trainee, a spokesperson for HCC’s Quality Enhancement Plan learning community, a mentor, a Power Friday Leader for the RV Early College and a volunteer for community service. He also cares for his mother who is on dialysis.
Marcus Lewis
Marcus Lewis expends unlimited energy working collaboratively with administrators, faculty, staff and students to enhance first-year student adjustment, engagement, and performance, retention and graduation rates. Through work, deeds, actions and verbally, Marcus validates his belief in the aforementioned as essential to helping students thrive academically, socially and professionally.
Marcus began his career at HCC in January 2009 as a learning coach for PRIDE. He played a vital role in building PRIDE from the group up into a nationally recognized male mentoring program, as it was highlighted in the Community College Survey of Student Engagement in 2010. Marcus, along with the PRIDE staff, had a tremendous impact on male retention and graduation.
From spring 2009 to spring 2010, PRIDE boasted an 83 percent retention rate compared to HCC’s fall to fall retention rate of 70 percent.
Also, during the 2008-09 year, there were 14 black male graduates and 42 white male graduates, totaling 56 male graduates. After the inception of PRIDE in spring 2009, male graduates increased during the 2009-10 year to 39 black male graduates and 39 white male graduates for a total of 78 male graduates. That increase represents a 39 percent increase in total male graduates in just one year.
Tonya Mason (HCC Student)
Tonya Mason is in her last semester in the nursing program at HCC. She has a professional demeanor and a joy about her that is contagious. She served as secretary for the Women of Excellence female mentoring group for the 2010-11 year. Her enthusiasm and drive for the organization was refreshing and has helped the Women of Excellence grow.
Her contributions to HCC are evident in all her activities. She offers her time and leadership abilities in every event possible on campus. She has taken responsibilities on herself that she knew had to be done and excelled in them all. She has an awesome ability to see potential in her fellow students that they did not know they had.
She was the 2011 HCC delegate for the Leadership Development Program at the NC Community College System in Raleigh. Her leadership skills are evident in the way she conducts herself and her desire to reach out to fellow students and share her knowledge. She has also lead several workshops on leadership for the Women of Excellence.
Tonya is highly regarded by her nursing instructors. Kelly Harvey says, “Tonya is one of the brightest and hardest-working students I have ever met. She has organized study groups with her peers to help everyone succeed and is a natural leader in the class. She has always acted professionally and demonstrates strength of character in the classroom, laboratory and clinical settings. Tonya has been instrumental in getting the National Student Nurses Association chapter started on the HCC campus. It is truly a pleasure to teach such a student and I have no doubt that Tonya will succeed greatly in the profession of nursing.”
James Miller Jr.
James is a native of the Roanoke Valley, graduating from Northampton High School and beginning his fire service career as a volunteer firefighter with Roanoke Wildwood Fire Department more than 20 years ago where he still volunteers with the rank of captain.
James found such rewards in helping others that he became a career firefighter in 2002 when he was hired full-time by the Weldon Fire Department where he currently holds the rank of lieutenant.
Realizing the need for an underwater rescue team to be available in the Roanoke Valley, James became a founding team member of the Roanoke Wildwood underwater dive team. James has always been a solid rock of inspiration to those firefighters around him as he has been voted by his peers as firefighter of the year. He is also inspirational in education to his fellow firefighters as he has been awarded for having the most training hours in firefighting for his department.
Frankie Young
Frankie Young exemplifies many strong personal traits. She is compassionate, warm, friendly, caring and she is a kindhearted person. For many years, she has committed herself to improving the quality of life for many youth and the elderly in Halifax County. At the age of 95, she involves herself in many community endeavors through service, and addresses civic, educational and cultural concerns in the community.
Frankie is a Guardian ad Litem volunteer, she volunteers at Halifax Regional Medical Center, encourages eligible people to register to vote, takes people to the polls to vote, and helps youth and elderly get their GED. She also teaches vacation Bible school at First Baptist Church in Halifax. Frankie tutors elementary students in reading and math, and supports the Halifax County Boys and Girls Club.
Frankie possesses leadership skills and has a breadth of knowledge and talents within an array of services that have benefitted many people in the county. For many years, Frankie taught in the Weldon school system. She has also served as chairman of the Halifax Community College Board of Trustees. To enhance her physical growth and development, she bowls once a week in Rocky Mount and encourages others to take care of their physical being.
Senator Edward Walter Jones
Senator Edward Walter Jones demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the community and unselfish devotion through his lifetime of services for local citizens and mankind.
Senator Jones served his country in the United States 82nd Airborne Division. After leaving the military he was a state trooper for 30 years. He then became mayor and police chief of Enfield, N.C. He served in the North Carolina House of Representatives for two years, and began his years of service in the state Senate in 2007, succeeding Senator Robert Holloman, who died in office.
Senator Jones was elected and re-elected to the Senate in 2008, 2010 and 2012. He served all of our citizens in the region with dignity and he was fair to all citizens in the region regardless of race, creed or color.
Locally, Senator Jones served as a board member of the American Red Cross for the F.E. Turnage Chapter in Rocky Mount, N.C., and served as co-chair of the Study Committee on Poverty Elimination and Recovery for Northeastern North Carolina.
Senator Jones was dedicated to serving his community in many ways. When there was flooding in the 4th district, he would locate the elderly and people with special needs in homes without power and ensure the locations in need of service restoration were relayed to the utility company. During strong storms, Senator Jones would be on call at the fire station to help assist the local citizens with acquiring supplies and services needed. He was dedicated to the youth of his area and would often visit local schools, and was a constant fixture at the senior citizen centers in his district. When a Roanoke Rapids family was denied help in receiving hospital beds for their two special needs children, Senator Jones helped the family obtain the beds. He was also a man of God and was a member of St. Paul Baptist Church in Enfield, serving a number of years as the chairman of trustee board. As a trustee, he was always instrumental in helping to upgrade the facility at his church.
