For Gloria Pressley, two crinkled note cards are among the most treasured items in her scrapbook. They are invitations she received announcing President George H.W. Bush’s visit to Hampton University’s commencement in 1991.
The 85-year-old Pressley, a class of 1956 alum, said she was among the few alumni who received one. The Fort Monroe resident recalls the event being so huge it was held at the Hampton Coliseum and “it was packed to the capacity,” she said.
“It was a real surprise because it was the president of the United States coming,” Pressley said. “I did not know about his policies, but I admired him because he was a great family man. He touched a lot of people in the area.”
President Bush died Friday at his home in Houston. He was the ninth president to come speak at the historically black university.
At the time, there were some student protests against Bush’s visit. Pressley, who held onto her tickets even after she presented them to get in, said it was a still a great honor for the school to host him.
“I can’t really speak on the protests. That was the kind of thing that was going on at the campus,” she said. “It certainly did not stop our Dr. Harvey of getting him here. The security was very tight.”
Pressley recalled the president told graduates and students that they were valuable to the country and the university was preparing them to be of service to the country.
“He encouraged the students to stay in the school and get everything the university offered,” she said.
Opioid awareness movie screening
Carolyn Weems, a mother who runs the nonprofit Caitlyn’s HALO — will be on hand to share her experience during a special screening in Hampton about opioid addiction.
The movie “Jacqueline and Jilly” stars actor Victoria Rowell, who also wrote and produced the feature. The story chronicles struggles of what a modern African-American family endures when learning of their teenager’s addiction to painkillers.
Weems, a Virginia Beach resident, started the nonprofit after her daughter Caitlyn struggled with opioid addiction and died of an overdose at 21.
She hopes the screening “will help us launch into much-needed conversation about this devastating drug epidemic ravaging our communities and country,” Weems said.
The screening will take place at the Cinema Cafe, 1044 Von Schilling Drive, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Sunday. The event is free.
Hampton opens workforce resource center
Hampton residents seeking job training resources will have an opportunity to visit the new WorkOne Center, which officially opened last Friday.
The center, inside the Y.H.Thomas Complex, will have computers for job seekers to use, resume and job search assistance and programs such as hotel hospitality classes, youth employment development and social media training, officials said.
Pam Crooms, the city’s workforce development coordinator, said the center will help boost Hampton’s workforce. Unemployment in Hampton is at 3.7 percent, according to figures from the Virginia Labor Market Information, Crooms said.
“We basically know we are still dealing with the higher unemployment rate. Hampton has been running higher than our neighboring communities,” Crooms said.
The city spent $50,000 to develop the center. The facility can accommodate some four dozen people.
“It’s about hands-on help for small groups of people,” Crooms said. “It really is about specific programming.”
