College prepares for Walk of Fame
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on April 2, 2006 10:04 AM
Banking on the fact that "everybody loves to come home," Jack Kannan is confident that next weekend's "Walk of Fame" festivities will be the makings for some wonderful memories.
Kannan, director of the Foundation at Wayne Community College, said the reunions will abound as his Goldsboro High classmate, opera singer Bill Stone, and their former music teacher George Trautwein become recipients of stars on this year's Walk of Fame.
On Friday evening, there will be a dinner and reception for the honorees at Walnut Creek Country Club beginning at 7. Seating is limited to 150 people, with $25 tickets still available, Kannan said.
Ceremonies to unveil the stars will take place next Sunday at 2:30 p.m. in the courtyard at Wayne Community. The free event is open to the public.
While he tried to keep things simple, Kannan said he still wanted the ceremony to be a first-class event.
That's why he focused his efforts on making sure there are plenty of crab cakes to dine on Friday evening rather than spending funds on ice sculptures.
An array of talent will be on hand throughout the celebratory weekend, many overlapping in their ties to Goldsboro and one another.
Performing at the Friday event will be Sally Spring, a Goldsboro native and one of Trautwein's students, who went on to become a folk-rock legend in the 1970s and 1980s.
Dan Shepherd of Shepherd Electric will serve as emcee. He will also interview Trautwein and Stone, Kannan said, to bring the audience an update on their accomplishments in recent years.
Stone last visited Goldsboro in March 2001, when he performed at the college and was part of establishing an endowment to encourage young musicians in Wayne County. He said he was honored to be part of something that prompted the expansion of the arts and music program in his hometown.
"Jack and Wayne Community College have managed to galvanize the whole community, with scholarships for students. I'm happy to be a part of it and honored to be a part of it," he said.
Trautwein was last here in 2001, when the community paid tribute to him, also at Wayne Community. Likewise, an endowment has been established in his name at the college.
The former teacher and student have crossed paths often over the years, so it is only fitting that they share honors again. Trautwein, who taught in many places, including Duke University and the N.C. School of the Arts, said he has very fond memories of his time in Goldsboro.
Recalling a time when the two were at Goldsboro High School, he noted one day when Stone "was going to the men's room from Eleanor Powell's classroom." Trautwein at the time was practicing a German song, which prompted young Stone to ask about singing it himself.
Trautwein would later take his student to a state competition, where Stone came in first place. And after high school, Trautwein, affiliated with the "Lost Colony" in Manteo for 25 years, first as a singer and later as musical director, encouraged his protege to audition.
Both men have enjoyed illustrious careers, as well as maintaining contact and continuing their friendship over the years.
In recent years, Trautwein, now retired and living in Sarasota, Fla., has been honored with a lifetime achievement award from the Cab Calloway Foundation for having founded a community theater in Irvington, N.Y., and last year in Manteo, the "Lost Colony" season was dedicated to him. Andy Griffith introduced Trautwein during ceremonies there.
Stone has traveled the world performing and said one of his most proud occasions was when he was in "Paradise Lost," which took him to the Lyric Opera in Chicago and the European premiere in Milan, as well as being part of a command performance for the pope at the Vatican. He still performs and sings, but took on a new role when he began working this semester as professor of vocal studies at Temple University in Pennsylvania.
Both agree they are looking forward to being in Goldsboro again.
"It's always nice to get back to Goldsboro and see all my friends," Stone said.
"I'm especially thrilled because Bill's going to be on the same program" this weekend, Trautwein said. "He's very important in my life."
Other featured participants during the Sunday ceremonies include the Spring Creek High School band, Eugene Price, editor emeritus of the News-Argus as emcee, and Kristin Shearin, soprano, a voice student at the North Carolina School of the Arts.
Miss Shearin of Goldsboro has won numerous awards and was a recipient of the Bill Stone music scholarship. She also sang at Wayne Community College last year when Goldsboro native Anne Jeffreys was honored with one of the first two stars on the Walk of Fame. The other recipient was Johnny Grant.
For more information about the events or to obtain tickets, contact Kannan at 735-5152, Ext. 246.