By Will Bumgarner
Editor-in-Chief
R.J. Reynolds has fostered the rise of many talented artists, athletes, and scholars over the past century. The Pine Whispers has been fortunate enough to play a part in many of these accomplished alumni’ careers, in particular the late Bonnie Angelou, an inductee into the RJR Arts Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
At the age of 9, Angelou began exploring her affinity for journalism, creating her own neighborhood newsletter. At RJR, she became an editor of the Pine Whispers, beginning what would soon become a historic career.
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“She broke through the glass ceiling in so many ways,” Morris said. “She was born in 1924, one year after RJR opened, at a time when women did not usually work outside the home in any career other than nursing or teaching.”
After graduating from the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina (now UNCG) in 1944, Angelou came back home to begin working for the Winston-Salem Journal. After winning multiple writing awards, including one for a series on segregation in schools, Angelou’s career catapulted, providing her with new opportunities, such as serving as the Washington Correspondent for Time Magazine.
“She was a weekly co-host on a television program called Panorama,” Morris said. “She covered political news, including the Ford presidency, and in 1978, she was appointed as the Time’s bureau chief in London. She covered Margaret Thatcher’s election as prime minister, the 1981 royal wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, and violence in Ireland.”
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Angelou was even asked to be the first female press secretary in our Nation’s history under former president Gerald Ford. However, she turned down the role to raise and care for her ten-year-old son, Christopher.
“Juggling a career in journalism and being available as a wife and mother was a challenge for sure,” Morris said. “One that people still wrestle with.”
Nevertheless, Angelou’s career was historic. Not only was she the first woman to head a Time bureau overseas, but she was also the president of the Women’s National Press Club in Washington, the first woman to head the Association of American Correspondents, and a member of the N.C. Journalism Hall of Fame. As a writer, author, and activist, Angelou accomplished greatness in a time when women were afforded such little opportunity. Her legacy serves as an inspiration to many around the globe, and RJR is honored to call her one of our own.
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“By learning about the successes of other RJR alumni who have gone on to meaningful careers, both current students and staff can find inspiration to pursue their own paths and work towards increasing access for those who may face barriers to success,” Morris said. “It’s remarkable that one school has produced so many notable alumni across athletics, the arts, and academics. We should not only learn about their achievements but also draw lessons from them, using their stories as motivation to strive for excellence in whatever goals we set for ourselves.”