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Deneen Zezell Graham Kerns is a dance teacher and pageant contestant from North Carolina. In 1983 she became the first African-American to win the Miss North Carolina beauty pageant; she remained the only African-American to have won the Miss North Carolina pageant until Alexandra Badgett was crowned in 2019. [1]
Graham was born in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Her parents, Jean and Bobby Graham, were both educators in Wilkes County public schools. [1] [2] She entered the 1983 Miss North Carolina pageant at 19, as Miss Elkin Valley. [3] North Wilkesboro held a Deneen Graham Day two weeks after she received the Miss North Carolina title. [1] Vanessa Williams, winner of the Miss America 1984 title, has said that the Ku Klux Klan threatened to burn a cross on Graham's lawn after she won the North Carolina pageant. [4] [5]
In 1986, she graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance. [1] She traveled to the Mediterranean, Far East, and Alaska with the Department of Defense Entertainment Tours, and toured the United States with the first national tour of the musical Heartstrings. [6] She appeared in "Theatre of the Stars" productions of such musicals as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes , South Pacific , Hello, Dolly! , The Music Man , and The Will Rogers Follies . As a performer with the Miss Georgia pageant from 1988 to 1994, she served as co-choreographer and chief choreographer. She was also a member of the Atlanta Hawks Dance Team (Cheerleaders) during the 1994 season; she served as the assistant to the dance team choreographer. [6] She was inducted into the Wilkes County Hall of Fame in 2016.
She is a member of the Dance Masters of America. Many of her students at Carol Walker Dance Academy have received the highest awards in regional and national competitions, and the academy's dance team are currently (as of 2008) National Dance Champions. [6] [7]
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Wilkes County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is a part of the state's western mountain region. As of the 2020 census the population was 65,969. Its county seat is Wilkesboro, and its largest community is North Wilkesboro. Wilkes County comprises the North Wilkesboro, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area.
North Wilkesboro is a town in Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,131 at the 2020 US Census. North Wilkesboro is the birthplace and original home of Lowe's Home Improvement, which continues to have a major presence in the community. The town is also known as one of the birthplaces of the sport of stock-car racing, and the North Wilkesboro Speedway was the first NASCAR-sanctioned track. Due to the town's proximity to the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains and its numerous tourist venues, North Wilkesboro has been nicknamed the "Key to the Blue Ridge".
Wilkesboro is a town in and the county seat of Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,687 at the 2020 census. The town is located along the south bank of the Yadkin River, directly opposite the town of North Wilkesboro. Wilkesboro is a Small Town Main Street community and has recently revitalized its historic downtown to include the Carolina West Wireless Community Commons, Wilkes Communications Pavilion, Heritage Square and Splash Pad. Cub Creek Park is adjacent to the downtown and contains many amenities, which include baseball, walking trails, mountain biking trails, trout fishing, dog park, basketball, tennis, and pickleball courts, picnic shelters, etc. Wilkesboro is also the home of the annual MerleFest, Carolina in the Fall, and Brushy Mountain Peach & Heritage festivals.
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Wilkes Central High School is a public high school located in Moravian Falls, North Carolina. It is a part of the Wilkes County Schools system. The school's enrollment is typically around 1,000 students. The school's district includes the towns of Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro as well as the southern regions of Wilkes County. The current principal of the school is Dr. Heather Freeman. Wilkes Central has the largest enrollment of Wilkes County's four public high schools.
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Lynne Taylor-Corbett is a choreographer, director, lyricist, and composer. She was born in Denver, Colorado.
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