If you follow current events in Greensboro, you may have already known that Carolina Theatre named the auditorium for Betty and Ben Cone, Jr. Here is the Youtube video from 2018, where the announcement was made. As we are reminded in the video, Betty lead the campaign to save the Carolina Theatre back in 1976. Betty and Ben also donated significantly to the Setting the Stage campaign at the theatre a few years ago. That last big campaign really helped with technological amenities and upgrades, keeping the theatre current in the digital age.
It is hard to believe that it has already been almost six years since we interviewed Betty Cone for Greensboro Daily Photo (here). Please read (or reread) that post where we featured her. It really lets you know what Betty has meant to the Greensboro community. Noteworthy is the fact that the photo from 2015 was taken in front of the Carolina Theatre. Betty had suggested we meet there as she had something to do at the theatre. The banner in the above photo is currently hanging at the Greene Street entrance to this Greensboro, North Carolina treasure- where people have gone for great entertainment since 1927. Thanks to Betty and Ben, the 100th anniversary will be a grand one and the Carolina Theatre should be a great place to enjoy performances well into the next century.
If you want a quick overview of the contributions of the whole Cone family in Greensboro, read Jim Schlosser's 2003 article in the News & Record (updated in 2015).
Quite an entrance!
Posted by: William Kendall | Tuesday, March 09, 2021 at 03:40 PM