Life & Work with TYRONE “Tony” Everett of WAKE FOREST

Today we’d like to introduce you to TYRONE “Tony” Everett.

Hi TYRONE “Tony”, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Early Life: I’m the middle child of seven siblings raised by single mom in Southeast Raleigh, North Carolina.. My mom, Florence Everett, RIP was an extremely intelligent woman that pushed education on us from day one.
She, herself was valedictorian in her high school in Newport News, Virginia.

At an early age, I found my identity outside of the home with sports, I was too young for the three older siblings and felt too old for my three younger siblings which lead me to find Robert Park! At Roberts Park, I found boys my age with a lot in common, particularly baseball! What made this time so special was most of the guys I went to elementary school with played on one of those baseball teams. And twice a week we were either playing with or against each other for bragging rights.

I was also a mouthy kid which got me in trouble with neighborhood kids. I remember once going to the store at the age of eight for a pregnant neighbor who was craving pickles, popcorn, and peppermint candy. She gave me a quarter and I was rewarded with the change For running the errand. And those days are nickel when a very long way. Mrs. Rebecca was our neighborhood store and unfortunately it was just across the road from the Gatlin Brothers. It must’ve been seven or eight of them because they traveled en mass .
Well, this particular day, one of them called me out of my name, and I replied accordingly. It seemed to me at that time, like a dozen of them, rushed off the porch coming toward me! Not one was time I got my feet busy. As I was turning the corner to my street and safety, I looked back to see if they were gaining on me, but that was when I got hit by Mr. Heart Montgomery’s pick up truck.. The impact knocked me into our neighbors yard. I scramble to my feet grab what I could of my candy and cookies and continue to run when I look back this time there was no doubt behind me and I’m thinking oh no father is chasing me too.! I don’t think I waited for the screen door to open because I ran through it. My mom was alarmed and asked me what was going on, and I told her I was being chased by the Gatlin brothers And their father! Will have it turn out Mr. Montgomery was chasing me to see if I was OK and appeared at the front door. Just asked my mom was coming out of the house to see what happened.. My mom and Mr. Montgomery took me to the emergency room and his truck and everything turned out OK.

Teen Life:
As a teen was really big into school athletics and our neighborhood swelling pool Chavis swimming pool. I began working at the pool in the locker room at the age of 13 and eventually became the Director and head lifeguard my sophomore year in college.. At one time Chavis Park with the only black part on the East Coast. People will come as far away as Mississippi and New York City..
Chavis pool was also the only one for Black people until the mid 70s.
The only did we guard the swimmers lives. We also gave them swim lessons and taught them how to take care of their neighborhood pool. But it also served as an affordable daycare for low income mothers who had to work and could not afford Camp fees.. At 50 Cent admission that was not a bad deal. However, it did not take long for me to see the flaw in their thinking when it was lunchtime. It was really difficult for me and my guards to eat in front of them while they were watching. So I took it upon myself to “borrow” $.25 from every dollar made to go towards buying hotdogs and sandwiches for the kids. One of my lifeguards parents owned a grill and his name was Evelyn‘s grill. We worked out a deal where and we could get a basket of stuff at a very low cost for kids at the pool . I was very proud of this, although some they think it was shady.

Young Adult Life:
I enrolled in Atlantic Christian College (Barton College) in January 1976. I went there to play baseball and major in psychology.. I played a year of basketball and intramural tennis.
I met and married my college sweetheart (divorced) we had a wonderful son named Chandler age 34 now. A UNC Chapel Hill graduate in business owner, and band leader Against The Odds.
My first job out of undergrad was 12th grade math teacher substitute before landing a job in my desired field at Dorothea Dix Mental Hospital. I worked 3 years as a Child Guidance Counselor.
I then went to Wake County mental health where I opened an operated the Young Adult Support Services YASS. This was a seven days on seven days off, live in Service for youth coming out of troubled backgrounds, and institutions the acclimate to the real world.

After leaving Wake County Dukes, Child guidance clinic recruited me. Duke are the counselor for individuals and families mostly focusing on youth. I was simultaneously working on my masters and social work at UNC Chapel Hill.. before leaving Duke I established the first Drop-In Center for kids trying to avoid drug use on weekends..

At that time, I was working full-time, going to grad school and raising a family.. In grad school an internship landed me at United Way of Wake County.. I was tasked with performing aneeds assessment for Wake county.
Upon completing grad school, United Way of Wake County offer me position as Director of information and Referal. This new information and referral system Would take the place of an old system at the public library, which used books to trace resources for people in need.
Working alongside IBM loan executives I digitize information and referral for the triangle area. This service eventually became 211 that is still in operation today handling over to the 300 calls per week..

From United Way, I went to work for Unc school of social work where I got my masters.. I worked as a research assistant and performing community needs assessments and ran data. One particular assignment sent me to a community meeting where a California based company was presenting. The name of this company is the Center for Employment Training CET. With that at this presentation, I met a lady named Carmen Placido, who eventually became my first boss, as I was chosen director for the first CET opened in North Carolina in our research triangle Park. CET served young adults on public assistance by giving them job training, interview skills, and job retention skills.. We served the Tri-County department of social services, orange, Wake, and Durham.

I met and married my dear wife Laura Beth oberkircher (deceased) while working at UNC. She was in Grass school at the time in the school of social work and we met through a mutual friend. We have a daughter together. Her name is Zoe oberkircher Everett and now she’s 26 Unc Charlotte graduate..
Tried to hit the Everett family with my youngest brother. Michael passed away early in life.. His daughter Michelle came to live with Laura myself and Chandler.

Some two years into our blended family we discovered Laura had inflammatory breast cancer. We fought with that disease for nearly 5 years before she lost the battle to her illness…. I spent the next six years of my life as a murderer and single father. The kids were 13 nine and seven respectively upon her transition.. This was absolutely the scariest time of my life, particularly having two little girls in the mix to raise. WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH THEIR HAIR?!! Thank God, I had sisters who came to the rescue and those “situations.” I remember one night after long day of traveling and finally resting on the couch catching up on ESPN when my oldest daughter came down and said “ I think I got my period”…
All I could muster was congratulations?🤷🏾‍♂️
But we got through that with the help of my sisters and a dear friend named Cheryl Ragland. I remember my first trip to the store 11 o’clock at night to get a feminine product with “wings”? What the fuck?WTF are wings dude?
Not being bashful and tired as heck at 11 or so at night, I went to the counter and asked a female clerk. Are these things the wings on this box she condescendingly smile at me said yes those are the wings. Those are the right ones.. Unbeknownst to me, there were several ladies in line who were smiling at me with the look that said, “bless his heart”. All I cared about was getting the right Prada back to my daughter getting back in front of ESPN and that cold beer that was chilling on the coffee table.
Not long after that incident, God sent a woman named Maria Moran my kids first nanny. Simply put she saved me from myself. She is still a dear friend today and considered a family member from the bottom of my heart. She practically took my three kids under her wing, which gave me the freedom to continue to work and earn. (As the kids were getting older I began to work as an Adjunct Professor in UNC’s School of Social Work Macro Practices. I did this for about two years.)

After 18 months as Director, the president of our company, Mr. Russell Tershy asked if I would become a regional Director. I had CETs in Durham, Alexandria, Virginia, Chicago, Del Ray Beach and Bel Glade, Florida and El Paso, Texas. A great deal of my work was spent on Capitol Hill advocating for job training and farm worker rights. CET is a national program therefore we were present on Capitol Hill talking to Congress and Senate on a regular basis. I have even set in on two meetings at the White House.. I remember before one visit to the White House. I was at my mother’s house in Southeast Raleigh. I decided to go hang out on the corner with the guys for a little while. The next Wednesday I was in the White House at a meeting. I was thinking to myself wow from Little Southeast Raleigh to the White House..!

I retired from CET in 2014. My last task I presented before the United States Senate subcommittee on veteran affairs Green Jobs. The White Paper I present is currently registered in the United States Library of Congress.

Later Life:
After my time in the 2014, I spent a lot of time figuring out what I wanted to do next. And while I was getting these things figured out, I was hit with bladder cancer followed closely behind major stomach surgery. The stomach surgery occurred during the height of COVID-19, and that was when I had to tough out in the hospital by myself.
After getting my health back in order, going from being on seven different drugs to no drugs at all now I Be my volunteerism. I am the social committee Director for the Men of Southeast Raleigh (Like us on Facebook). The man of Southeast Raleigh are comprised of older men, mostly who grew up in the area and now so and back their resources in time into the community. Our organization if they stand alone resource that work in conjunction with other agencies and nonprofits to help Eason of the Southeast Raleigh community. Our motto is “Think Again”. We Are invited to participate in events like the American cultural art stuff, Southeast elementary reading program, Greeting kids coming back on the first day of school we are there to greet them and welcome them back to school, We are addressing the individualization of taxation for indigenous citizens in Southeast Raleigh, We participate in moral Wednesdays marches to ensure the redistribution of finances touch Power most in need.
The Man Southeast Raleigh are paying particular interest in the gentrification of our neighborhood.. We are not necessarily against gentrification we want to ensure that our presence is acknowledged and respected accordingly in our community. In 2022 we were awarded the Fred Fletcher Award for volunteering in the beautification of Chavis Park every Fall.
I spent my day at the dog park with my friends playing with my dog or traveling the world with my group named Black Sense Entertainment.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has not been smooth but not ias bumpy as it could’ve been if not for being prepared educationally and emotionally. What I mean is the truth is you make when your face with these things. Some people get angry and complain or others figure out another way to use their ignorance against them.

I remember in high school playing baseball in a community that had a sign that read support your local Ku Klux Klan. I remember the Kiere clan marching in front of our house on the way to downtown Raleigh during the 1968 riots, Marched with Angela Davis once in protest to racial prejudice and police brutality. Minnie, who look like me I have been profile by the police and stopped unjustly. No, don’t know that word over no leave it alone. No find another way…
I have had an employer that accuse me of falsifying my masters degree. And I have been looked over for raises and promotions.

But all of the above was no match for when I lost my youngest brother to a rather violent tragedy and my wife, Laura to an illness that took her life..

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Work wise, my most rewarding experience it was working for CET. I was able to open up job training centers around the country in community that serves people that looks like me. It was through job training and job placement. We were able to break the cycle of poverty for many many low income families. I was most in love with this job because we stay with the individual from when they start training all the way until they were placed on a job and sometimes had to be replaced on another job. Second, it would be being an advocate for the farm worker. The people that put the food on our table. I also did advocacy on the local and federal level for job training Resources.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I don’t know if I really believe in per se, But I do believe in instinct and putting yourself in a good position to receive blessings. For example, when I met Carmen Placido, who was doing the CET presentation to some dignitaries from North Carolina government, I just happen to be the first one to arrive to get set up so that I could take notes for the meeting. I instinctively do that, but the result I was approached about the job as the Director, because this Placido love the punctuality from the very beginning . Some they say, I would lucky in the right place at the right time.