College chooses teacher, student for Walk of Fame
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on March 6, 2006 1:48 PM
Foundation of Wayne Community College officials will soon add two new stars to the college's Walk of Fame.
One star will bear the name of Goldsboro High School music teacher George Trautwein, and the other, one of his students, international opera singer Bill Stone.
Two other stars are already in the Walk of Fame, one for Anne Jeffreys and the other for Johnny Grant.
Trautwein and Stone will be inducted into the Walk of Fame April 9 during a ceremony that will begin at 2:30 p.m. in the courtyard behind the Wayne Learning Center. The public is invited.
The foundation is taking reservations for an informal reception that will be held in their honor on April 7 at Walnut Creek Country Club. Seating is limited to 150 people, and tickets are $25 per person.
For details and to make reservations, call Jack Kannan, executive director for the Foundation of Wayne Community College, at 735-5152, Ext. 246.
Entertainment will be provided by another of Trautwein's students, folk rock singer Sally Spring. She has a new album, "Mockingbird," scheduled to be released this month.
Stone has committed to attend, but Trautwein, who is 80 now, said he would be unable to attend the ceremony.
"He really wanted to come," Kannan said. "We ordered the stars for him and Bill Stone, and we'll still honor them on the 9th."
"I really feel this trip will be too much for me at this time," Trautwein said in a letter to Kannan. He also said, "Bill can carry the ball for both of us beautifully. Best wishes to you for a successful event for the college."
Trautwein came to Goldsboro in 1956 and taught at the high school through 1969. After he left Goldsboro High School, he was music director for Wayne Community College for three years. He was the music director for "The Lost Colony" outdoor drama at Manteo for 25 years until 1973. After he left North Carolina, he spent another 21 years teaching music in New York and Connecticut before retiring.
Bill Stone, who is 62 now, studied pre-med at Duke University but soon changed his major to music. He, too, became involved with "The Lost Colony" and met his wife, Bonnie, in Manteo. They married in 1965 and have two children.
He continued his studies and earned a master's and doctorate degree from the University of Illinois. He entered the Metropolitan Opera auditions in 1976 and was one of the 10 finalists. This exposure led to him being hired for the world premier in Spoleto, Italy, of Nino Rota's "Napoli Milionaria." His career has developed as a leading baritone on opera and symphony stages across the U.S. and in Europe.