Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 8, 1995 TAG: 9506090048
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY WALKER SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
But Mayor David Bowers, the keynote speaker at the May 25 dinner, exhorted the students never to forget Roanoke.
BPOE No. 197 honored 37 valedictorians from the Roanoke Valley and Franklin and Floyd counties.
Roanoke County schools, which name any student with a 4.0 grade-point average valedictorian, has the most No. 1 students. Cave Spring High School has 11 valedictorians, Northside and William Byrd have six each, and William Fleming has two.
"You folks, as you go out in your future lives," Bowers told those attending the dinner, "you should be proud of where you came from, because we are one of the great cities of America."
Bowers gave evidence to back up his claim. Before 1995, Roanoke's crime rate declined for two consecutive years. In 1994, there were only four homicides in the city, and Bowers attributed the decline to police programs such as D.A.R.E., Community Oriented Police Effort, mounted patrols and bicycle patrols.
The city also was featured on National Public Radio as an example of how to fight crime, he said.
Roanoke has also been a leader in its commitment to revitalizing the inner city, he said. "Many cities are investing in the suburbs. This city is investing in the heart of our community."
In recent years, eight inner-city schools have been renovated. "If you close the elementary schools," he said, "you might as well close the neighborhood for families."
Other examples of Roanoke's commitment include improvements to Wells Avenue, the downtown pedestrian bridge, and the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center, Bowers said. He touted the features of the recently renovated hotel, such as two phone lines in every room, and encouraged everyone to visit it.
The city's overall strength, he said, shows in that "three bond-rating agencies indicated that Roanoke should have a AA rating, which is unheard of in most cities in America."
Serving as Roanoke's mayor is the culmination of a longtime dream, Bowers told the students. "I first thought about becoming mayor when I was about your age."
Bowers' political career began in the fourth grade at Raleigh Court Elementary School, where he ran for class president. (He lost.) As a student politician at Patrick Henry High School, he helped organize the school's first Earth Day celebration.
Earth Day, which replaced Arbor Day, struck some conservative older teachers as too radical. One told Bowers, "David Bowers, you are nothing but a communist."
"No ma'am, I'm a Democrat," he replied.
"Close enough, young man, close enough," she said.
Bowers concluded by summing up his outlook on Roanoke and Roanokers:
"We're good, common-sense people who always take care of our everyday activities, but never forget to reach for the stars."
After the speech, Bowers presented each valedictorian with a coffee demitasse emblazoned with the city seal.
Here's a list of the Roanoke Valley high schools' valedictorians for 1995:
Cave Spring - Caron Causey, daughter of Dennis and Marcie Causey, University of Virginia; Rebecca Dragan, daughter of David and Marita Dragan, Univeristy of Virginia; Dana Michelle Hall, daughter of Stephen and Bonnie Hall, University of Virginia; Jessica Hardwig, daughter of Scott Hardwig and Barbara Mahl, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pa.; Holly Hurt, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Larry Hurt, Virginia Tech; Meenoo Jain, daughter of Prabhat and Santosh Jain, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Jennifer Miller, daughter of Robert and Silvia Miller, University of Virginia; Gina Nasca, daughter of Carl and Mary Nasca, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah; Jill Nussbaum, daughter of Bruce and Carol Nussbaum, University of Virginia; Katherine Norris, daughter of Harry and Natalie Norris, University of Richmond; Sandra Ungerer, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Ungerer, The College of William and Mary.
Craig County - Lindsey Mattox, daughter of Harold and Rachel Mattox, Virginia Tech.
Franklin County - Tamara Payden-Travers, daughter of the Rev. Christine and Jack Payden-Travers, Wake Forest University.
Glenvar - Emily Martin, daughter of Robert and Wanda Martin, Freed-Hardeman University, Henderson, Tenn.
James River - Sonja Miller, daughter of John and Paula Miller, Virginia Tech.
Liberty - Almeda Wright, daughter of William and Lula Wright, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Lord Botetourt - Bhavik Patel, son of Mr. and Mrs. Dalpat Patel, The College of William and Mary.
North Cross - Mary Margaret Stoeckle, daughter of David and Margaret Stoeckle, Haverford College, Haverford, Pa.
Northside - Catherine Airey, daughter of Peter and Margaret Airey, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.; Michael Kenneth Dowe II, son of Michael and Mary Katherine Dowe, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; James Helms, son of James R. and Mary W. Helms, Virginia Tech; Catherine Higgins, daughter of John and Betty Higgins, The College of William and Mary; Yasmin Dara Jilla, daughter of Rustan and Farida Wadia, University of Virginia; Stacie Nixon, daughter of Albert and Paulette McAllister, University of Virginia.
Patrick Henry - Jeffrey Eenigenburg, son of Larry and Patty Eenigenburg, Moody Bible Institute, Chicago.
Roanoke Valley Christian - Jeremy Laughon, son of Harold and Sandra Laughon, Roanoke College.
Roanoke Catholic - Elaine Grace Casiano Ronquillo, daughter of Amorsolo and Aleli Ronquillo, The College of William and Mary.
Salem - Jennifer Michelle Sosnowski, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Sosnowski, Salem College, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Staunton River - Julie Johnson, daughter of William and Judy Johnson, Virginia Tech.
William Byrd - Deepa Channaiah, daughter of A.C. and Jaya Channaiah, University of Virginia; Nanda Channaiah, daughter of A.C. and Jaya Channaiah, University of Virginia; John Connor, son of David and Vickie Connor, Virginia Tech; Rosalind Annette Doty, daughter of Ronald and Harriet Doty, College of William and Mary; Brian Lawhorn, son of Mr. and Mrs. Tommy Lawhorn, University of Richmond; Andrea Kay Meador, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Billy Meador, University of Virginia.
William Fleming - Vassiliki Farmakis, daughter of ; John Bird, son of.
Memo: ***CORRECTION***