W. TERRY SMITH
You must get up early in the morning to keep up with Carol Quigless.
It seems the Tarboro woman is everywhere, doing everything.
Most of her attention is directed at the Quigless Natural Health Center at 99 Main St. where her father started the first clinic for blacks in Edgecombe County in 1946. Dr. Milton Quigless Sr., a member of the Twin County Hall of Fame, served black and white patients in the clinic and 26-bed hospital. The red brick building is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Dr. Quigless would be proud to know his daughter is continuing his legacy by offering all types of activities connected to living healthier.
“It’s not about being alive,” said Carol, 58, “it’s about feeling alive.”
If you have made resolutions to become healthier, you may be interested in what Quigless has to offer.
There’s tai chi for arthritis on Saturday mornings, beginner aerobics on Tuesday nights and even a weight loss clinic that offers “a sensible approach using nutrition principles for good health, exercise and stress relief techniques” on Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings.
A free qigong class Quigless says increases energy starts at 11:30 a.m. Thursday.
“I don’t think some people realize we charge on a sliding scale,” she pointed out. “Some of what we offer is absolutely free.”
In connection with the successful 2nd Saturday events downtown, Quigless will offer free health center services from 10 am. to 2 p.m.
“First come, first served,” she said.
This could include massages, Reike (Carol is a Reiki Master) and weight loss classes.
She’s also partnering with the county Health Department to teach balance classes at the Dunbar and Princeville senior centers.
On Jan. 31, Quigless will be a presenter at the eighth annual African-American Cultural Celebration at the N.C. Museum of History in downtown Raleigh between the Capitol and Legislative Building. More than 5,000 are expected to attend.
She was on a panel there in 2003, advocating health care as a civil right.
This time Quigless will be talking about her father, who passed away in 1997 at the age of 93.
This will give her the opportunity to take pre-orders ($22.95) for her father’s autobiography now being edited by former Tarboro resident Michele Cruz of Nashville, N.C.
“My father spent 16 years writing that,” Carol said. “It’s the book that would never end.”
She hopes to have it published in a limited edition by late spring.
Carol and her father are featured in the January issue of Our State magazine. “Life With Father” and the five pictures will be a familiar story for this newspaper’s readers.
In addition to her health center, Quigless also organizes the free dental clinic, which has been an overwhelming success the last two summers treating 627 patients.
Missions of Mercy is coming back Feb. 20-21 and again needs area dentists and assistants to volunteer.
One dentist compared it to a mission trip to Central America, but it is obviously needed in our community as evidenced by the turnout that still sees many turned away.
W. Terry Smith is editor of The Daily Southerner.
