b. April 9, 1936

by Mary Louise Burress and Sue Burress Wall, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Winston-Salem, 2016

Tog Newman has had extensive experience with cultural, civic, and community leadership in Winston-Salem, the state, the region, and the nation. She has been an active member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church since she and her husband moved to town in 1962, serving as a Sunday School teacher, bazaar committee chair, outreach committee member, Diocesan Conference delegate, faith and justice committee member since its inception, and small group member.

Feeling a serious calling to make life better and richer for those around her, she branched out into several local and regional activities. One example of this was the St. Paul’s outreach funding group, a group that determined where limited resources would best serve the community. Tog was a perfect fit for this job; she had “a finger in every pie.”

Tog was executive director of Leadership Winston-Salem for seven years, and a member of the Piedmont Triad Leadership Network, Common Vision, and Rotary—where she was one of the first women members. She has been an officer in numerous arts organizations, becoming president of most, and chaired the North Carolina Arts Council and the North Carolina Center for Non-profits.

Tog’s connections and deep involvement in non-profits gave her a wealth of knowledge and experience, which she willingly shared with St. Paul’s. She broadened the scope of community involvement within the Parish.

She also received many awards: the prestigious North Carolina Award described her as a “visionary leader, lover of the arts, advocate for equality, fairness and justice, a very able administrator with a passionate and generous soul.”

Tog brought all these qualities to St. Paul’s, particularly in the last five years to the faith and justice group. This committee has brought a series of programs to the church and the wider community, highlighting issues of faith and justice both locally and internationally. The monthly luncheon series “Not in My Back Yard” has focused on important issues of food insecurity, health care education, the environment, and equality. Recently, and most notably, Tog was central to the planning and organizing of Trinity Institute’s local conference: “Listen for A Change: Sacred Conversations About Race.” The opening lecture was given by Most Reverend Bishop Michael Curry. The week-end event brought more than 100 participants to St. Paul’s for the telecast and table conversations.

Tog attended Hollins University and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, with a B.A. in political science. She is married to Michael Newman, architect and sculptor, also a valued member of St. Paul’s. The couple has two married children and three grandchildren.