Remebering Local Legends

I'd like to take a break from the normal Gluten Free Raleigh theme and talk for a minute about two local Raleigh area Legends that recently passed away. I'm talking about NC State Women's Basketball coach Kay Yow and the founder of the Komen Triangle Chapter Jeanne Peck. Both died recently after long battles with cancer.

Kay Yow died Saturday Jan 24th, 2009 after battling breast cancer since 1987. During her 38-year, Hall of Fame coaching career, Coach Yow won more than 700 games. She coached the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal in 1988, won four Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championships, earned 20 NCAA tournament bids and reached the Final Four in 1998. More importantly than all of that was the inspiration she instilled in others during her numerous fights against cancer. Nothing I can say in this short blog post can totally sum up Kay's life but she will definitely be remembered as one of the most beloved figures in N.C. State University history and one of the most respected coaches in the nation.

A public viewing will be held Friday (1/30) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Colonial Baptist Church in Cary. A funeral will follow at 3 p.m. Burial will take place Saturday, Jan. 31, at 10 a.m. at Gibsonville Cemetery in Gibsonville.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund and mailed to:
The V Foundation for Cancer Research
106 Towerview Court
Cary, N.C. 27513

Jeanne Peck died Jan 19th, 2009 after battling breast cancer since 1997. In 1997, she formed the Triangle Chapter of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. The race, which is held every June at Meredith College, has grown to 24,000 registered participants and has raised approximately $12 million for research. It is recognized as the largest 5K event in North Carolina and one of the 25 largest Race for the Cure events in the world. The chapter has awarded more than $7.5 million in community grants and more than $2.5 million in research since it's inception. Each year, the grants affect thousands of lives, particularly those of uninsured and underinsured women. In 2008, community grants served close to 20,000 North Carolinians. Jeanne was also an extremely inspiration leader in our community and will be greatly missed.

Rest in Peace Kay and Jeanne and thank you for your countless contributions to the Raleigh community. If each of us takes just a few minutes each day to help others in the spirit of Kay and Jeanne, our city will become a great place to live.