Meet the Board
Deltra J. Bonner
Mrs. Bonner has been volunteering since 2000. Mrs. Bonner has a personal connection to the Cemetery as her mother's sister, Helen E. Shuford, at age 13, was buried at Odd Fellows Cemetery in 1935. As a child in the late 1950s, Mrs. Bonner remembers coming to the Cemetery with her grandmother and mother at Easter with flowers, garden tools, and dirt to fill in her grave. This annual family tradition continued until about 1975, when we could no longer reach her grave due to the kudzu, other overgrowths, and trees.
Between 1998 and 2000, her siblings and herself joined their mother, who had become engaged with the efforts of then Alderman Nelson Malloy, Henry Stepp, and others to restore the Cemetery. At that time, they had not located her grave. Many years later, during a Dr. M.L. King Day clean-up event in 2013, a Service Corps volunteer did find their aunt's grave.
While her grandmother, mother, and aunt are only with us in spirit, they believe they would be pleased with the progress made by the Friends of Odd Fellows Cemetery. The vision of its members allows us to continue and expand our family tradition while honoring others buried there.
James E. Clyburn (President)
Mr. Clyburn has neem volunteering since 1978 and has familial connections to the Cemetery.
Linda Scales Dark (Corresponding Secretary/Publicity Coordinator)
Mrs. Dark has been volunteering since 2007. She had always heard about Oddfellows from young adulthood. Several of her relatives are buried there, including their family matriarch (an enslaved woman in Rockingham County) "Hannah" Scales.
Greg Errett (Financial Officer)
Mr. Errett has been volunteering since 2010. He became interested in the Cemetery's history when it was designated as a local historic site in a May 2010 ceremony to unveil the marker that he attended. After talking with the Board, his son decided to do his Eagle Scout project there, cleaning a portion of the cemetery and recording headstone information. That project spurred him to become a Board member and help with the restoration efforts. He also wanted to become a link between the City of Winston-Salem, my employer, and the Cemetery. He has thoroughly enjoyed working with the Board members and learning about the history.
Jim Stuart
Mr. Stuart was volunteering in 2006 in support of his friend, Dick Fulp. Mr. Fulp had read a newspaper article describing the plight of the abandoned Cemetery and the attempt to restore the grounds.
Mary E. Wakeford
Mrs. Wakeford is a retired educator who has volunteered at the Cemetery for two years. She lives in the community and enjoys learning and being a part of the community's rich history.