Durham Section NCNW Hosts 35th Annual  Living Legacy Recognition Program

DURHAM, NC – The Durham Section, National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) will host its 35th Annual Recognition Program honoring unsung heroines in the Durham community whose services have had an exceptional impact on our youth, families, and the community at large.  With the theme “Living Legacy,” the NCNW Recognition Program will be held Saturday, July 24, 2021, at 12 noon as a Virtual Experience. Tickets can be purchased via Eventbrite.

The Living Legacy honorees are Mrs. Catherine Ferrell, age 108, Durham Section NCNW Life member;   Judge (Retired) Elaine O’Neal, Superior Court; Judge Pat Evans, Durham District Court; Minister Lorraine Maynard, President, Central NC Area, Aglow International; Rev. Dr. Michelle Laws, Assistant Director, Consumer Support & Community Stakeholder Engagement, NC Mental Health; President Gracie Rogers, Services 4U.

Mrs. Catherine Spearman Ferrell (108 years old) was born in Warsaw, North Carolina, and graduated from Frederick Douglas High School in 1931 as valedictorian of her class.  She also played on the school’s basketball team. Although she was financially unable to attend college to become a teacher, she devoted her life to being an official teacher by home teaching her children, family, and other community children until they were school age. Currently a member of Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, she has served as Sunday school teacher, President of the Sr. Missionary Department, church van driver, chairperson of Senior Citizens, Chairperson of Van Ministry, Chairperson of church District, Director of Baptist Training Union, Co-Chairperson of the Building Fund, Youth Choir leader and many other committees. Later in life, she learned to drive, use the computer, and even at the age of 100, she took a trip to the Holy Land. Mrs. Ferrell was re-baptized in the Jordan River. In the community, she is a long-time member of the NCNW, AARP, Durham Seniors Traveling Group, and a lifetime member of Elks organization. Learn more about Mrs. Ferrell

Retired Superior Court Judge Elaine O’Neal, a Durham native, attended N.C. Central University, where she earned an undergraduate degree in mathematics and a Juris Doctorate from the NCCU School of Law. O’Neal returned to the law school in 2018 and served as interim dean for two years during a period when the school was having accreditation issues. Prior to her stint as law school dean, she served as a Durham County Superior Court Judge from 2011 until 2018. She served as a District Court Judge from 1994 until 2011, with the last eight years of her tenure as the county’s chief district court judge. For the past two years, O’Neal has co-chaired the city’s 17-member Racial Equity Task Force that in July submitted to the Durham City Council a visionary 60-page report that challenged the city and private institutions “to not be merely anti-racist in thought, but actively and continuously in deed.”

NC District Court Judge Pat Evans received her high school diploma from Northwest High School in Halifax County, North Carolina. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from N.C. Central University (NCCU) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Judge Evans received her Juris Doctorate from NCCU School of Law and, in 1984, she was licensed to practice law in North Carolina. She went into private practice in Durham until 1990. At that time she became an Assistant District Attorney for the Fourteenth Judicial District in Durham. Currently, Judge Pat Evans serves as a District Court Judge for the 14th Judicial District. She presides over Criminal, Family, Child Support, Civil Jury, Juvenile Delinquency, Traffic, Community Life, Domestic Violence, and People’s Courts. She has also served as the Adult Drug Treatment Court Judge. She has served on many Board of Directors, including Durham County Mental Health, Urban Ministries of Durham, Durham County Bar Association, Durham Chapter of the American Red Cross, New Horizons Character and Leadership Academy, and Project Excellence. Pat continues to tutor at-risk children, teach Sunday School, and volunteer her time at schools, food banks, etc.

Minister Lorraine Maynard, a Fayetteville NC native, completed a BS in Business Administration at North Carolina Central University in 1977.  She subsequently began her career at Duke University School of Medicine Center for the Study of Human Aging and served for five years in research administration.  After a transition to the Microelectronics Center of North Carolina (MCNC), RTP  she progressed to leadership as a process engineer for Cronos over twenty years.  Currently, she serves as an administrator in Duke University Human Resources. Minister Maynard is bi-vocational and was licensed to the ministry in 1992. A member of Aglow International, a global organization, since 1985, she has traveled extensively in the US and Israel.  She began serving Aglow NC Central Area Team as recording secretary in 1995, progressing in leadership to VP and ultimately President.  As Area President Minister Maynard’s oversight includes Lighthouses in Pittsboro, Dunn, Cary, and those active in Fayetteville, Asheboro, Sanford, Raleigh, Henderson, Durham, Burlington, Fuquay Varina, and Hamlet.  

Rev. Dr. Michelle Laws, a native of Chapel Hill, NC, holds a Ph.D. in Social and Behavioral Science from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Department of Health Behavior and Policy (Phi Kappa Phi); Master of Arts Degree in Sociology from North Carolina Central University (Magna Cum Laude); and Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.   Dr. Laws is a gifted and sought-after public speaker and is internationally known as a fierce advocate for poor women and children, human rights, and social justice. Professionally, Dr. Laws is the Assistant Director of Consumer Support Services and Community Stakeholder Engagement for the NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services, within the Department of Health and Human Services. She is also one of the leads for the NC Department of Health and Human Services’ Historically Marginalized Populations COVID Workgroup. Dr. Laws’ distinguished professional career also includes serving as the Assistant Director for the Community Health Coalition, Inc., former Executive Director of the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, a college adjunct professor at NCCU, NC State University, and in federal and state prisons. Learn more about Dr. Laws.

Mrs. Gracie Jones Rogers has over 40 years of teaching and training in the Hospitality and Food Service Industry, serving as a professor at North Carolina Central University and at Livingstone College in Salisbury, NC in the Department of Business and Hospitality Management. She has previously served as Vice President – Nutrition Education – FDY-Sodexo, Inc. Food Service Contract Company, and as a State Nutritionist – NC Division of Aging. Currently, Mrs. Rogers is the owner and President of Service 4U@ Vogue of Glitter, a hospitality and foodservice management training company with a mission to offer education and job training skills for individuals to become part of the workforce and gain an independent lifestyle. She is the recipient of the NC Long Leaf Pine Award, the highest honor bestowed on an NC citizen. A member of Union Baptist Church, she has served as a Sunday School Teacher for over 30 years and is a Trustee Emeritus.

The National Council of Negro Women, Inc. (NCNW) was founded and organized by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune in 1935 as a “national organization of organizations” working to improve the quality of life for women, girls, families, and communities across the United States and in African countries.  The Durham Section, NCNW, active for more than 60 years, is a 501(c) 3 organization focusing on service and advocacy in education, health, and family.