Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 12—June 8, 1955—SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS
Kentucky
LOUISVILLE, KY.
M AY found Kentucky waiting, as
as it had for a year, for the Su
preme Court’s expected ruling on
schools. But it became apparent that
even a June ruling would find many
school systems unprepared to begin
integration next September, because
at such a late date, as one official put
it, “we couldn’t work out the me
chanics of the thing.” There remained
“a possibility,” however, that the
Louisville schools might begin inte
gration this fall, and at least one
other large system was reported
ready to do so “if the Court ruling
clears the way.”
Jefferson County Supt. Richard
Van Hoose said that nothing was be
ing done toward integration in Sep
tember, 1955, because “it would be
imposible to work out the mechanics
of the thing. And Morton Walker,
president of the Louisville Board of
Education, recently expressed the
opinion that integration will not get
underway until 1956.
Public discussion of integration
problems kept its usual pace before
church groups, civic clubs, P-TA’s
and other organizations. Mr. Van
Hoose’s remarks, for instance, were
made as a panelist at a meeting of
the Kentucky Congress of Colored
Parents and Teachers. Typical com
ments from other panelists follow:
“Integration is a community-wide
problem and has to be solved on a
community-wide basis,” said Sam V.
Noe, administrative assistant to
Louisville School Superintendent
Omer Carmichael. “We know that we
will have integration in the schools,
but what about the churches, the
picture shows, the hotels, the
Y.M.C.A. and Y.W.C.A.?”
“I hope,” said Mrs. James Tate,
president of Youth Speaks, an or
ganization of high school students,
“that integration will be accom
plished not only as integration but
as integration with friendship.”
“As young people,” said Miss Anita
Taylor, a University of Louisville stu
dent, “we can influence older people
by letting them know we have the
true spirit of brotherhood. Students
are not interested in the color of your
skin but whether you are good in
mathematics.”
Eleven Negro parents of Louisville
school children filed suit in federal
court during May asking that Louis
ville be ordered to open all city parks
to Negroes. A similar suit, filed in
1953 in Jefferson County circuit court,
is before the Kentucky Court of Ap
peals now.
The federal suit asks that Louis
ville’s officials be prevented from en
forcing park-segregation regulations,
in effect since 1924. The rules were
adopted, after a group of white and
Negro children had clashed in one
of the city’s largest parks, in the
form of a resolution stating that “it
is neither desirable nor safe that
white and colored people of the City
should take their pleasures together.”
MOST PARKS CLOSED
In 1951 Federal Court ordered the
city to permit Negroes to use mu
nicipal golf course. Until Mayor An
drew Broaddus modified the park
regulations to some extent last
month (as reported in Southern
School News’ May issue), however,
virtually all of the city’s parks were
segregated—though not its univer
sity, its 82 tot-lots and play-lots, two
municipal playgrounds, five public
golf courses, and its outdoor theater
in Iroquois park. Under present con
ditions, plaintiffs in the latest suit
charge, Negroes “are denied the right
to use any parks of the city except
the smallst and most inadequate.”
On May 18 Sen. Earl C. Clements
announced appointment of a 17-year-
old Louisville Negro to be a cadet at
the United States Military Academy.
He is Julius Elliott Price—first Ken
tucky Negro appointed to West Point
by a Kentucky member of Congress.
One other Kentucky Negro at the
Academy, who graduates in June,
was appointed by the New York Ne
gro congressman, Adam Clayton
Powell.
Young Price’s grades at Central
High School averaged 93.9 per cent.
He ranked fourth among contestants
in the congressional regional ex
aminations for the West Point ap
pointment last January, but the top
qualifier accepted a presidential ap
pointment instead, the second-place
candidate failed to take the second
rounds of exams, and the remaining
alternate was disqualified physical
ly, leaving the appointment to Price.
Delaware
WILMINGTON, DELA.
^N INDICATION that the state de
partment of public instruction—
which is officially committed to inte
gration on a gradual basis—is inter
ested in a program of stimulating
community thinking along the lines
of integration, is a conference called
for the early part of June.
This is a conference of P-TA lead
ers, school officials and class room
teachers, and other interested citi
zens, for a review of the problems
of integration. This is not intended
to be an action group but rather
a discussion meeting, with the hope
that the press will not be around to
quote any one and thus allow these
leaders to speak more freely.
By the middle of June—after school
officials have tapped public opinion
and digested the U. S. Supreme Court
decision—a clearer pattern of what
can be expected in Delaware next
school year will begin to develop.
However, Wilmington, the largest
city in the state, and a special school
district that is not really under the
jurisdiction of the state department
of public instruction, is proceeding
with an expansion integration plan
for September, 1955.
NEW CASTLE TO EXPAND
The town of New Castle, six miles
below Wilmington, is expected to ex
pand its partial integration plan. In
the town of Newark, 14 miles south
of Wilmnigton, the school officials
have not yet publicized any plan they
may have for expansion of their pres
ent partial integration policy.
Dover, the state capital—and the
southernmost community in Dela
ware that has anything resembling
a desegregation policy, is not expect
ed to make any change in its current
policy which is to accept Negro stu
dents in the Dover high school, after
they have passed an academic ex
amination—the same that is given
white students who are graduated
from white elementary schools. This
examination is to determine whether
the youngsters are suited for the
academic, college preparatory courses
or would make out better in a voca
tional school.
In the meantime, school trustee
elections held early in May through
out Delaware indicated in some
areas the determination of the voters
in southern Delaware who went to
the polls that they would not accept
integration.
The most interesting school trustee
election was in Milford, Del., the
scene of hectic, almost violent con
troversy in September and October
of 1954.
The anti-integrationists won out.
TWO SLATES OFFER
There were two slates of candi
dates, one composed chiefly of in
cumbent members of the Milford
School District Board of Trustees,
who took this position on integra
tion:
“Integration is a national and state
issue right now (as of early May)
and not a local issue.
“We intened to abide by our oath
of office, to support and defend the
Constitution of the United States and
the Constitution of the state of Dela
ware.”
This was taken to mean that this
slate, if elected, would abide by any
decision of the U. S. Supreme Court.
The other slate, supported by Bry
ant Bowles, president of the National
Association for the Advancement of
White People, and a resident of Hous
ton, Del., took the position that it
was for segregation “for under this
system in Delaware, both the white
and colored children are being af
forded an opportunity for the equal
privilege of being educated.”
SOUGHT PUBLIC MEETING
This same slate, supported by
Bowles, also declared:
“We shall insist upon the observ
ance of law and order and we pro
propose to use every legal avenue
available to protect the rights of the
citizens of the Milford school district
in the matter of segregation and in
every matter vital in making and
keeping this community a better
place in which to live.”
The Milford elementary school
P-TA invited both slates to appear
at a public meeting and state their
views on a number of school ques
tions including integration.
The first slate appeared but the
Bowles-supported slate declined,
saying that emotions were already too
wild and that the situation would
only be more confused.
The Bowles-supported candidates
(who, incidentally, declared they had
not sought support from Bowles) also
said that “mounting tension” had
been created in the community by
their opponents and therefore they
would not appear at the P-TA meet
ing.
The outcome of the election was a
three to two victory for the Bowles-
supported slate of candidates for the
board of the Milford school district.
About 3,200 of 5,000 eligible voters
went to the polls on the date, May
14, and elected to the board were:
Max Corder, a feed dealer; Crerar
Bennett, a farmer and plumber;
Ernest C. Macklin, an insurance
broker, and George Robbins, a farmer.
It is important to realize that the
Milford school district embraces more
than just the town of Milford. It
also includes large stretches of farm
country, rural areas and smaller
towns.
RECORD VOTE
This was the highest vote ever re
corded in a Milford district election
for school trustees. In previous elec
tions, a 700 tournout was normal.
Milford was the only school board
election area in Delaware where the
integration-segregation issue was an
expressed issue.
The new board takes office July 1
and among its top major jobs will be
the task of finding a new superin
tendent for the school district and
a principal of the Milford (white)
high school.
Dr. Raymond C. Cobbs had re
signed as superintendent in April and
soon after his resignation came that
of M. Alexander Glasmire as prin
cipal of the Milford high school.
Neither man gave any specific rea
son for quitting but it was generally
accepted in the Milford area that
they had decided to leave because
of the conflict over the issue of in
tegration.
They had been verbally attacked
by Bryant Bowles and their resig
nations were considered added vic
tories for Bowles and his influence in
the southern section of Delaware.
However, both men have received
testimonials of good will on the part
of many citizens of Milford.
Other developments in Delaware:
Church groups reaffirmed their po
sitions in favor of integration.
Delegates to the annual convention
of the Episcopal diocese of Delaware,
West Virginia
CHARLESTON, W. VA.
JNTEGRATION in schools pro
ceeded on an orderly basis in West
Virginia during May with the month’s
highlight the admittance of the state’s
two former all-Negro colleges to full
membership in the West Virginia In
tercollegiate Athletic conference.
Effective next spring, the basket
ball teams of West Virginia State and
Bluefield State colleges will be eligi
ble for the first time to compete in
the state collegiate tournament at
Buckhannon.
It also means that the two colleges
are “acceptable” for inter-team com
petition in other sports, notably foot
ball, but it is frankly felt it will be
several seasons before the former all-
white colleges compete with the for
mer all-Negro institutions. However,
as early as last fall, West Virginia
State had both Negro and white play
ers on its football team.
The action admitting West Virginia
State and Bluefield State was taken
at Wheeling on May 9 on motion of
Dr. Paul N. Elbin, president of West
Liberty State college, who said that
since segregation was abolished in
West Virginia’s state-supported col
leges, “It seems applicable that the
admission of those two Negro colleges
to the conference would follow logi
cally.”
VOTED EQUAL RIGHTS
Three days later in Charleston
members of the West Virginia Epis
copal diocese “of other than the An
glo-Saxon race” were voted equal
rights. Then, on May 18, at Jackson’s
Mill, the West Virginia Synod of the
United Lutheran Church in Amer
ica went on record against segrega
tion in churches before the adjourn
ment of its 43rd annual convention.
The equal rights question in the
state’s Episcopal diocese represents a
constitutional change and must be
voted on again at the 1956 council
to make it effective. If it is favorable,
which is expected, racial distinctions
in the diocese will be abolished. The
change affecting Negro parishes was
supported by newly instituted Bishop
Wilburn C. Campbell, who, along
with the committee on constitution,
recommended that the 10 words
“whose members are of other than
Anglo-Saxon race” be stricken from
the constitution.
While all this was going on a 27-
year-old plant worker who once was
“leery” of going to classes with Ne
groes was being graduated on May
30 as the first white student to get
a degree from West Virginia State
college. He was one of 182 white stu
dents who attended the former all-
white school during the past term.
The new graduate is C. Doyle Kes-
ter of Dunbar, a Charleston suburb.
Kester is an employee of the Carbide
and Carbon Chemicals Co. plant at
Institute, home of West Virginia
State.
“I was leery about enrolling. I had
never been in a class with Negro stu
dents,” Doyle said.
COULD GET DEGREE
He learned from Dr. Harrison H.
Ferrell, the college’s dean, that he
could get a bachelor of science de
gree in education which, added to his
bachelor of arts degree already ob
tained from Davis and Elkins college,
would permit him to teach.
“I really have no plans for going
in teaching,” he said. “It’s sort of an
‘insurance’ degree.”
including clergy and laity from all
parts of the state, adopted a resolu
tion in favor of integration. The reso-
ultion stated: “The Supreme Court’s
ruling of May 17, 1954, is more than
a matter of law and order. It is also
a matter of religious faith and demo
cratic principles. Judged in the fight
of Christian principles, the court’s
decision is just, right, and necessary.”
The Peninsula Methodist confer
ence, which embraces all of Delaware
and parts of the Eastern Shore of
Maryland, also adopted a resolution
supporting racial integration in the
public schools.
A somewhat similar resolution was
adopted by the Delaware State Bap
tist convention.
Doyle explained that he didn’t feel
that he and other white students got
better or worse treatment from the
school faculty. “It’s just a classroom
of students. The professors don’t see
any colors, and neither do I.”
This was in agreement with the
remark of Dr. William J. L. Wallace,
West Virginia State president, be
fore delegates to the Southwestern
Regional Conference, sponsored by
the Southern Conference Education
Fund, Inc,, in Houston, Tex., on
May 17.
Dr. Wallace told the delegates that
racial integration at his institution
has proceeded “harmoniously and
smoothly.”
“One of the first decisions of im
portance to be made involved recruit
ment,” Dr. Wallace said. “We de
cided that the wisest policy to fol
low would involve no recruitment
steps among white high school
graduates. It was thought best to
wait and see what the acceptance of
the college would be.”
The attitude of Negro students to
ward the influx of 182 white college
mates was watched carefully, Dr.
Wallace declared, adding that “no
doubt there were some persons who
resented the appearance of white stu
dents on the campus.”
But not a single student, the presi
dent said, expressed opposition to
the integration program during a
survey of reaction which he con
ducted.
Some out-of-state Negro students
“weren’t too enthusiastic” about the
process, according to Dr. Wallace,
but their feeling was partly prompt
ed by an increase in out-of-state tui
tion fees. Prior to the last term al
most 50 percent of the West Virginia
State student body had been com
prised of registrants from beyond the
state’s borders.
NO RECRUITMENT
The West Virginian took exception
to a report published in the Southern
School News of December 1, 1954.
which he said was “misleading” in
saying that a “determined effort
seems to have been made by West
Virginia State College ... to increase
the number of white students . . .”
The college made “no effort what
soever” to recruit white students,
Dr. Wallace said.
Other action regarding integration
in West Virginia schools involved the
decision by the Taylor County board
of education to close the one remain
ing school in that county. Supt. R-
Virgil Rohrbough said Garrison
school, located in the Grafton city
limits, closed at the end of the school
year on May 27. The 127 students and
teacher will be sent next fall to
other previously all-white schools.
This is the last of three Negro
schools in the county to be closed in
compliance with the U. S. Supreme
Court’s ruling on segregation, Rohr
bough said. Two other schools were
abandoned at the beginning of the
year and some 100 students and four
teachers integrated into other county
schools.
Meantime, the board of education
in large industrial Kanawha county,
which includes the capital city °t
Charleston, chose the first Negro to
instruct white pupils. She is
Katherine Brown Robinson, 43, 0
in large industrial Kanawha County-
Institute, who will teach a s P ec , 1 ®
“sight saving” class for children with
impaired vision.
Also in May, the House of Rep re '
sentatives of the Delaware Genera
Assembly voted down a propose
FEPC bill, the vote cutting across
party lines and even zig-zaggi n &
across regional lines of Delaware.
Rep. Paul Livingston, the only Ne^
gro member of the House, a Demo
crat and a resident of Wilmingto-
who sponsored the bill, complain,
that his fellow Democrats had
him down.
One interesting note in the vote
that Rep. Mildred Tunnell of George
town (the seat of the southern e°n g
ty of Delaware) and wife °i e j a .
former associate justice of the U
ware Supreme Court, James M-
nell Jr., voted in favor of FEE