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12 <br /> YOLANDA V. SCARLETf, MD <br /> 1214 TERRY ROAD <br /> HILLSBOROUGH, NC 27278 <br /> Ms. Bonnie Hammersley <br /> Orange County Manager <br /> Post Office Box 8181 <br /> Hillsborough, NC 27278 <br /> November 29, 2020 <br /> Dear County Manager Hammersley, <br /> I write to put forth the name of Mrs. Bonnie B. Davis to have a building named in her honor in <br /> Hillsborough, North Carolina. Orange County is my ancestral home and I am honored to live and work in <br /> Hillsborough and Chapel Hill, respectively. To my knowledge there is not a county building in <br /> Hillsborough named for an African-American female and Mrs. Davis deserves to be the first honoree. <br /> My relationship with Mrs. Davis dates back to the early 1970's. I cannot remember the exact date, but I <br /> vividly recall the circumstances. Mrs. Davis was employed by the Orange County Extension Office and <br /> worked alongside Mrs. Fonrose Gore, in a newly desegregated environment, educating women and <br /> young girls about different topics pertaining to home economics. My mother was very active in the Eno <br /> Home Extension Club and Mrs. Davis empowered her to start a 4-H Club as an outlet for the boys and <br /> girls in our community for educational and cultural activities outside of the classroom. My first exposure <br /> to etiquette, public speaking,government and travel was through 4-H. <br /> Mrs. Davis was of tall statue and was poised. I remember working on competitive 4-H projects and Ms. <br /> Davis periodically checking in with me to make sure that I was on point. She would always book time to <br /> coach me through a dry run before an actual public presentation. Though I was several inches shorter <br /> than Mrs. Davis, after working with her I always felt confident and taller than my 5 feet 6 inches. I'm <br /> not so naive as to think that I am the only person that she coached, but she had the unique gift of <br /> making me think that I was her only charge and that I could conquer and win any 4-H competition. <br /> Mrs. Davis looked like me and was a force that complemented my mother. My mother definitely <br /> wanted the very best for my sisters and I and had the foresight to make sure that we were under the <br /> tutelage of Mrs. Davis who was a successful, educated woman of color. I watched Mrs. Davis coach and <br /> support her daughter, Bonita, as she competed in a local beauty pageant. Bonita was the only <br /> contestant of color and stood out not because she was the only African-American competing but <br /> because she was coached by her mom who was one of the smartest, most versatile women in Orange <br /> County. <br /> My first lesson in networking came from Mrs. Davis. I did not know to call it such at the time. In 1976 as <br /> I was preparing to move a few miles south in Orange County to attend UNC-Chapel, Ms. Davis made a <br /> point to make sure that I connected with her nephew, Wayne Davis, who was from Robersonville, NC <br /> before we arrived as freshmen on campus. She asked us to make sure that we periodically checked in <br />