Resident Spotlight: Tyrone Baines, Civil Rights Activist

Joined by his wife and high school sweetheart, Shereatha, Tyrone Baines has been a member of the Croasdaile Village community since 2019. The first Black student to attend his high school in Dover, Delaware, Tyrone has a historical career in civil rights activism and worked for the prestigious philanthropy group W.K. Kellogg Foundation. He also taught at North Carolina Central University for 20 years, where he established the Public Administration Department and rose from Department Head to Chief Operating Officer.

Tyrone was kind enough to sit down with us for an interview. On the topic of retirement, he reflects, “Everybody tries to decide when you should retire. Well, I knew that when I didn’t want to mow the lawn anymore, it was time for me to retire.”

At Croasdaile, Tyrone is an active member of our Inclusion Committee and hopes to continue to facilitate inclusion both in our community and the larger area. A religious man, Tyrone grew up in a church-going family, and continues to attend weekly services. Religion is an important part of both his life and outlook. “We’re all God’s children. And God doesn’t make any junk” he says.

In their retirement years, Tyrone and Shereatha enjoy going on Jazz Cruises, and in January of last year sailed from Miami to Aruba and Curacao. They also previously took part in a fund-raising cruise benefiting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), billed as “A Party with a Purpose.”  Their passion for cruises began in the early 80s when they set sail for a Baines family reunion, and since then they have traveled to the Greek Islands, the Mediterranean, South Africa, Dubai, the Panama Canal, and Alaska.

Tyrone and Shereatha are engaging and active members of our community! Learn more about Croasdaile Village, a vibrant senior living community in Durham, NC.