Wake Forest residents Ellen Turco and Pat Schell have been named the 2024 recipients of the Robert E. Stipe Award for Professional Preservation Excellence. Wake Forest Senior Planner for Historic Preservation Michelle Michael earned the award in 2023. Presented annually by Preservation North Carolina, the honor is the highest award presented to North Carolina professionals who demonstrate outstanding commitment to historic preservation above and beyond their job responsibilities. Established in 1983 to honor the contributions of Robert E. Stipe, an educator in the field of historic preservation and a mentor to a generation of preservation professionals, the award will be presented to Turco and Schell during Preservation North Carolina’s annual conference in Rocky Mount on Wednesday, Oct. 16. As historic preservation specialists, the married couple,

100 years of history by Carol Pelosi The 1940s brought several changes to Wake Forest even as war raged in Europe and the Pacific.           In 1943, the town board hired the surveying firm of Arrington and Arrington to survey the town limits and number all the houses.           Town residents voted for bond issues that improved the streets and water and sewer systems. New streets were opened – Woodland and Rayburn – and other streets – North College and South White below Elm Avenue – were extended and paved.           Rats were a constant problem. Both the State of North Carolina and the U.S. Army, which was operating the finance school on the college campus, pointed out the health problems the rats caused, and

Mayor Vivian Jones did an unusual thing Tuesday night during the public comment section of the town board meeting after a man, saying he spoke for a group, spoke for 10 minutes while showing slides he took at PrideFest. She handed her gavel to Commissioner Keith Shackleford, also the mayor pro tem, and went to the podium in front of the commissioners and staff, saying she was going to speak as a town resident without title. Over the past three or four months groups of people have come to the town board meetings to protest against Pridefest, she said, and she has received letters with the same views. Wake Forest should be one community, the mayor said. “I am a Christian. How we make choices

What an amazing summer it’s been! As we ease into the cooler days of fall, it’s time to break out the hoodies and embrace a new season of activities and community support.  This fall, we’re busier than ever. The number of families we serve continues to grow, and in October, we’ll be serving more than 1,800 families—our highest number yet! However, as the focus shifts to recovery efforts in Western NC, our donations have seen a significant drop. While we encourage you to support our neighbors in the west, please remember that there is also critical need right here in our community. Take a moment to check out our list of most needed items, or if it’s easier, you can order directly from our Amazon Wish List,