Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 4 September 1997 — Page 7

The Muncie Times, September 4, Page 7

PAGEANT continued from page 6 Little Miss Muncie Black Expo. Eligibility in the division required contestants to be 2 to 13. Each child received a crown and scepter and walked across the stage looking like little princesses. It was an opportunity to begin a positive experience.

Junior Contestant Afieka Rutledge performs her dramatic interpretation “Mom, Why Was I To Die”

Senior Contestant Sharan Johnson with her dramatic interpretation “So, WhatlflAm A Black Woman”

Runner-ups in the Senior division are: fifth runner-up Nicole Young-El; fourth runner-up Jeana Decker; third runner-up; Candace Johnson; second runner-up Rugayya Malik, and first runner-up Sharan Johnson. Runner-ups for the Junior divisions were: third place Afrieka Rutledge; second Brandy Bryant, and first De’Juania Branson.

Senior Contestant Brandi Davis showcases her talent with her dramatic interpretation “Satirical About Slavery”

Senior Contestant Rugayya Malik showcases her talent with spiritual modern dance.

The MBE Award of Excellence was presented to Phyllis Bartleson, BeaMoten Foster, My Brothers Keeper and Toni Edwards. The queens and their court received trophies, gift certificates, and will also get a cash scholarship. The Little Miss Expo segment is non-competitive. Muncie Black Expo’s male calendar models were also present. Special guest of the evening was author Rosalyn McMillan who offered encouraging remarks to the Muncie audience and commended the talent of the pageant’s contestants. Judges of the pageant were Beth Quarles, Joyce Marshel, Dr. Charles Payne, Debra Farley, Melanie Clark, and Demetirus “Dee” Harris. Angelia Gordon, chairperson of the pageant was

Junior Contestant Brandy Bryant demonstrated her talent of playing keyboard with “Can You Feel The Love” from The Lion King. assisted by creative director, Barbara Kumbula, Alvin Jones and Tuwanna Roberson. Floral presentations were made by Muriel Weeden. Garland Simmons is president of the Muncie chapter.

Senior Contestant Jeane Decker performs a tap dance during the talent portion of the pageant.

Remember to Sign Up for Next Year’s Pageant!

Vasilis Makris, M.D., P.C. Diseases and Surgery of the Eye 288-1935 3300 W. Purdue Avenue

I heard that there is some progress being made in the field of retinal transplants. Is that a therapy for macular degeneration?

This is a new field of research in opthalmology, and substantial progress is being made towards the correction of irreversible damage to the retina by transplanting retinal cells from other individuals. The world experience at this point consists of approximately 30 patients who have undergone some form of retinal transplant. Although the results that are being reported show no worsening in any of the patient’s conditions, the possibility of improvement is still unproven. This is an active area of research, which I think will be of great interest in the next few years. The results are just too preliminary, at this point, to adequately evaluate whether it would be a viable option. We will be offering free cataract and glaucoma screenings at our office on Wednesday, September 10th from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00p.m. No appointment necessary. If you have an eye-related problem or question you would like to see addressed in this column, please send it to: 3300 W. Purdue Avenue • 288-1935 Visit us on the internet at http://www.siaweb.com/eyel.htm