Tony Foriest of Graham, the recipient of the 2004 Nancy Susan Reynolds Award for Race Relations, could have taken it easy after retiring from Xerox Corporation. Instead, he was troubled by the wide differences in achievement scores for white students and black students in his native Alamance County and set out to do something about it.

He led in creating an organization called Closing the Gap, and as co-chair, he has provided the vision and energy to make it a vital and successful effort. Through a variety of initiatives, including tutoring programs and recognition ceremonies, Closing the Gap is well on its way toward achieving parity of student achievement scores.

Foriest’s efforts to bridge racial and ethnic differences and build better understanding among all groups go beyond Closing the Gap, however. Involved in a broad range of civic groups, he is known as someone who works hard for unity, cooperation, and reconciliation