Winston-Salem Honors Influential Figures With Memorial Walk of Fame Induction
In a ceremony underscored by a gentle rain, Winston-Salem has unveiled new additions to its arts, culture, and entertainment Memorial Walk of Fame, celebrating individuals who have made significant contributions to the community. Nine bronze stars now grace the sidewalk in front of the Benton Convention Center, each commemorating a transformative figure whose impact continues to resonate within the City of Arts and Innovation and beyond.
Among the 2025 class of inductees are Bill Benton, a dedicated arts advocate, and Julian Burroughs, a trailblazer in public radio and a former professor at Wake Forest University. Burroughs is credited with securing WFDD’s broadcast license, marking North Carolina’s first NPR charter membership.
“He would be proud of the longevity and the professionalism that is here now,” remarked Jean Burroughs, with her daughter Catherine adding, “He dreamed of this radio station being world-class, and he held onto that dream even though it was very hard.”
The roster of honorees also features actor and educator Flonnie Anderson, blues musician Big Ron Hunter, and Harold Tedford, a revered theatre educator at Wake Forest University. Rosalind Tedford, Harold’s daughter and the director of research, instruction, and outreach at ZSR Library, shared, “He loved this city, he loved Wake Forest, he loved the arts, and to have his work recognized in this way, I think he’d be, as he used to say, tickled pink.”
Former student Mary Dalton, now a communication professor at Wake Forest, reflected on Tedford’s influence, saying, “I was mesmerized in class. And it’s really the person he was that drew you in, his humanity, his expansive sort of embrace of life.”
Since its inception in 2016, the Memorial Walk of Fame inductees have been chosen by a citizen panel, whose nominations are subsequently submitted to the mayor and City Council for approval. The latest bronze stars can be found embedded in the sidewalk, parallel to Cherry Street, on the east side of the Benton Convention Center in downtown Winston-Salem.
