About Southern school news. (Nashville, Tenn.) 1954-1965 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1963)
SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS-^JULY, 1963—PAGE 3, Desegregated Districts To Total 206 This Fall >i j d y n i- > iS >e it of J n- id ic d. rs it- re lpts ress> '■hi the ome ome ince sion be- the 1 ches 5 ir.' “my» it to ten- year ’up. fight ig to sity." le is I •rsitj' I AUSTIN B y the end of June, 206 Texas school districts had indicated they will operate on a desegre gated basis in September 1963, compared to 174 in the November 1962 Statistical Summary of Southern Education Reporting Service. Most of the 174 desegregated by board action following an opinion of December, 1962, by then Attorney Gen eral Will Wilson that the state law re quiring referendum approval is uncon stitutional. A survey in June indicated that de segregated districts in September will include more than half the state’s Ne gro students, and about 60 per cent of all white pupils. While enrollment fig ures will not be known until after school starts in September, it is esti mated that fewer than 5 per cent of the state’s Negro students will actually be attending classes in predominantly- white schools. Boards announcing new desegrega tion policies in June included: Fort Worth, two Negroes enrolled for adult vocational training in previously- segregated night classes of the public school system. The board already had ordered grade-a-year desegregation to start in September in compliance with a court order. (SSN, June, 1963, and previous) In the same county (Tarrant), Ar lington announced grade-a-year deseg regation to start this fall with an esti mated 30 Negroes to be enrolled in previous all-white first grade classes. The district is shown on Texas Educa tion Agency records to have 11,218 white and 147 Negro students. Arling ton State College dropped segregation in 1962. Birdville, Tarrant County, with 90 Negro and 9,175 white pupils, will en roll nine Negroes with white first- graders in September. Choice of Schools to" re- iron? icans ‘eco- : pri' oslirc pres- ■with i said Benton ordered complete desegrega tion on an overlapping attendance zone plan which apparently will give stu dents a choice of schools. The district had 4,967 white and 610 Negro students enrolled last year. Waco, the largest Texas district re taining segregation after Fort Worth, ordpred bv boa-d action a six-year de segregation pro- [issiJ- front ;s th £ U* Mccall litis gram starting with the first grade in September. Abner V. Mc Call, board presi dent who also heads Baylor Uni versity (still seg regated) said the public school ac tion is “to avoid the turmoil and distress of further gation ...” A desegregation suit has r Jo* \- en penc ling in federal court since ,r ' D 0v - 5,1962. (McGrue v. Williams, SSN ecember, 1962) Waco had 14,227 white j • Negro students enrolled, ac- to latest reports. •'Von' 06 ’ ^ en ^ a b County, near San sh f e fed' i jurifc ng 11 ■the >f t -oa°y 10 ' or< d er ed desegregation by actinn T’T,,’ 1 iaitf' mro"' 30f ini' i-ef- a 'Un t ? C ^ on ' This reversed the com- it v ys Previous action of 1958 when against admitting the town’s :, '- r <ooI V "° ^ e ® ro students to all-white , Sl Two Negro children will be schf,., 6 to attend the Boerne high fe 01 . this fall. near' •al'f! fed' 1 &5fl ,"‘ L UUS tail. The system has about L^te pupils. taught \ ear ’ it had four Negro students Was 0n ^ one teacher. Her contract Win a year-to-year basis and she ot be retained. of* ‘Encouraged’ to File L ■' be. whi^ Chambers of Grand Prai- tn idef S S*”! f ed, > ' i^eral j rece ' ve< I $62,213 last year in V th e ctt Sa *^ “ we were encouraged a pj a Justice department to ling • rtifli as« s - ‘■'46 vi.? >ra i r ie, Dallas County, had c 1962 - It e and 481 Negro pupils in expects to enroll 30 to 40 Jin' ;d‘ iol- & tif & - ltgr< >es 1 - ^de n on S TOO whites in the first ***!> l?,, September under a stair- Win/^ Program. .^d it j a U as County, whose board "J’d ij 2^ Se ® re S a ted without pressure, Hi ^ . "hite and 444 Negro stu- H to att ^It expects 67 Ne- elac en< d tenmerly all-white first Htm at , SeS in September. ’ Crayson County, adopted .i 5 s hoty ar . 'desegregation. Latest fig- H a nr , J? enrollment to be 4,576 S7 579 Negroes. Hitt(j a , ar( d' orc Iered desegregation: e > Caldwell Cormty, which Texas Highlights Plans to desegrate in September were announced by public schools in Arlington, Birdville, Denton, Waco, Boerne, Irving, Grand Prairie, Sher man, Martindale, Hale Center and Kemper City, raising to 206 the number of districts abolishing seg regation. Fort Worth and Austin schools announced a speedup of de segregation. Texas A&M admitted three Ne groes and Texarkana College two, the first desegregation for both. A federal judge ordered Longview, in the East Texas ‘hard-core’ area, to file a desegregation plan by July 27. Briefs were filed in the University of Texas dormitory desegregation case, with regents contending that housing is exempt from biracial rul ings. A group of Rice University alumni- attacked efforts of trustees to have the founder’s will construed so Negro students can be admitted. had 184 white and no Negro students last year. Hale Center, Hale County, 857 white and 91 Negro students. Kemper City, Victoria County, 97 white and no Negroes last year. Austin, state capital, completed de segregation started eight years ago; au thorized Negroes to enroll in the first four grades—as well as higher grades— this fall. Austin’s school board expects 34,000 white and 6,500 Negroes this fall. Last year 376 exercised an option to attend desegregated schools, of nearly 4,000 eligible. Until this year, the board had been using grade-a-year desegregation. The board at Hitchcock, Galveston County, tentatively approved desegre gation starting in the 12th grade. Its enrollment was 984 whites and 468 Negroes. St. Mark’s school of Texas, privately operated at Dallas, enrolled its first Negro pupil in June. In The Colleges 3 Negroes Enroll At Texas A&M Three Negroes enrolled at Texas A&M College, the first of their race to apply. Two will do graduate work under National Science Foundation grants. They hold master’s degrees from Prai rie View A&M, an all-Negro affiliate of the other college. The third Negro stu dent is an undergraduate. The school also recently announced a policy of accepting female students. Two Negro girls enrolled at Texar kana College. The governing board of the locally tax-supported institution said that Lindo Ruth Tolbert and Al- birda P. Briley are the first qualified Negroes to apply for enrollment since the federal court in 1956 ordered the college to accept all qualified applicants. (Whitmore v. Stilwell) West Texas State College at Canyon, previously desegregated, started re cruiting Negro basketball players. Jim my Viramontes, the new coach, said of the first six players he recruited, three are Negroes, including two from De troit. Legal Action Longview School Plan U.S. Dist. Judge Joe M. Sheehy gave trustees of the Longview school sys tem until July 27 to file a plan for de segregation. (Adams v. Mathews, filed Nov. 23, 1962.) This marks the first court order in what Texans generally consider to be the remaining “hard core” resistance area of segregation. No school in East Texas has desegregated, except such cities as Dallas, Houston and Galveston. Longview had 4,714 white and 2,361 Negro students enrolled in 1961-1962. Judge Sheehy ordered the school board to arrange for desegregation “with all deliberate speed.” “In view of the fact that more than nine years have passed since the Supreme Court knocked down the segre gation of races in schools, ... I am going to give defendants until July 27, 1963, to file a plan in this court for the admission of children in the schools of Longview on a racial nondiscrimination basis, with deliberate speed,” Sheehy said. Earl Roberts, attorney for the board, pleaded for more time to orient the school staff, parents, students and com munity. “If en masse total integration is en tered now, I think we’ll have problems we may never be able to overcome in the system,” said Roberts. Negro student plaintiffs are Robert L. Adams Jr., Yvonne Adams, and Thomas Liase. Judge Sheehy agreed with their at torney’s argument that continued seg regation violates the U.S. Constitution. Dormitory Order Dismissal Asked Attorneys for The University of Texas asked U.S. District Judge Ben H. Rice Jr. to dismiss a case filed in 1961 seeking to abolish racial segrega tion in dormitories. (Sanders v. Ran som, SSN, December, 1961, and subse quent.) Attorneys for the three plaintiffs argued that dormitories are an integral part of a student’s educational process, and that the university supervises all living quarters. Leroy Sanders, one plaintiff, is no longer at the University of Texas. Two Negro coeds, Sherryl Griffin and Maudie Ates, will be en rolled again this fall. The university’s brief, seeking to dis miss the case, said it provides dormi tories for all races. Those for women are segregated between whites and Ne groes. Three men’s dormitories are bi racial but others are for whites only. Attorney General Waggoner Carr and Leon Jaworski of Houston, representing the university regents, said that only 14 per cent of the 21,000-plus students live in dormitories, and the other 86 per cent are not necessarily being de prived of anything. “What plaintiffs are in effect asking this honorable court to do is pave ave nues for social intercourse for them which is totally unrelated to the educa tional advantages accorded them and all other students in the University of Texas,” Judge Rice was told. The regents’ brief also noted that the two Negro girls are members of an all- Negro sorority at the university. “Would this honorable court enter tain for a moment an action that would force these Negro girls to admit white girls to their sorority? In principle, there is no distinction in that situation and the present one.” Plaintiffs’ Reply Sam Houston Clinton Jr., attorney for the plaintiffs, replied that “in es sence, all plaintiffs seek is that the ‘white only’ be taken down from Uni versity of Texas dormitories.” “Regardless of whether dormitory life is a part of the educational process, the fact remains that a dormitory owned and operated by the University of Texas, that is to say, the State of Texas, is a public facility,” said Clinton. The university officials contend they have complied with the “deliberate speed” doctrine of desegregation, start ing in 1950 with the enrollment of Ne groes in certain professional and grad uate programs. Since 1956, Negroes have been ad mitted to all classes at the school, and with access to libraries, dining halls, etc. on nondiscriminatory basis. ★ ★ ★ Rice Alumni Seek To Keep Out Negroes At Houston, a group of Rice Univer sity alumni took steps to prevent the enrollment of Negroes. They asked State District Judge Phil Peden to reject a plea of Rice trustees to construe the founder’s will which SHEEHY What They Say Teacher Groups Desegregation Seen At Austin, Dr. Vernon McDaniel, ex ecutive secretary, Teachers’ State As sociation of Texas, composed of 11,000 Negroes, predicted an early end to separate white and Negro profes sional organiza tions like his. “I don’t see how we can continue dual profession al organizations when school sys tems are being de segregated,” said McDaniel. Texas State Teachers Association has a “whites only” policy. McDaniel said that the surplus of Negro teachers is diminishing, but still exists. Community Action Beaumont Urged To Remove Bars Negroes at Beaumont presented a proposal for desegregation, including private businesses, job opportunities, and “massive application for admission to all grade levels of our public schools on a nondiscriminatory basis.” Beaumont schools are still segregated, although Lamar Tech, a state college there, accepts students of all races. Ordered prohibited admitting Negroes. (William M. Rice v. Waggoner Carr et al, SSN, March, 1963.) Trustees are asking the court to strike down both the anti-Negro provision contained in the 1891 will of William Marsh Rice, and also its prohibition on charging tuition. The plea of intervention against the trustees’ view was filed by John B. Coffee, oilman, and Val T. Billups, for mer industrialist, both ex-students of Rice. They contend the will is “clear and unambiguous” although the trus tees say it prohibits Negroes in one provision, and leaves it up to admin istrators in another. ★ ★ ★ The controversy over desegregating schools at Georgetown continued. U.S. Dist. Judge Ben H. Rice Jr. approved a school board proposal for grade-a- year desegregation starting in Septem ber 1964 in the first grade. (Crystal Ann Miller v. Joe Barnes, SSN June 1963 and previous.) Price Ashton, attorney for the plain tiffs, said the case will be appealed to the U.S. Circuit Court in New Orleans. Ashton called the board proposal “nothing but a plan for delay.” Carl Doering, president of the Georgetown school board, said it needs a year to get ready for the change, and that if conditions justify he would be willing to see desegregation speeded up later. Meanwhile, two representatives from the committee promoting desegregation at Georgetown claimed the board was violating a State Court of Civil Appeals injunction by adding to a white ele mentary school. (SSN, June, 1963, Kre- ger v. Board of Trustees.) The court held that Georgetown could not spend bond funds for constructing segregated facilities. Spokesmen for the board contended this would prevent any district, not ful ly desegregated, from making perma nent improvements. But W. E. Tinsley of Austin, director of a bond dealers’ organization, interpreted the court’s ruling to apply only to Georgetown’s situation. He added that the timidity of North ern and Eastern investors to buy bonds of districts which have racial segrega tion troubles has about disappeared, and that no reluctance to buy appears now for that reason. In fact, said Tins ley, biracial districts are considered likely to operate more economically than segregated districts. Stained Howie, Jackson Daily News Mississippi (Continued Fiom Page 2) Dean Farley said when the applica- of Cleve McDowell, Negro graduate from Jackson State College, for admis sion to the law school was received, that he reported it to the Association of University Law Schools with the state ment that McDowell “would be pro cessed and admitted if he was quali fied.” McDowell was found to be quali fied and was enrolled June 5. The dean said McDowell has been received by other law school students “with courtesy.” He said McDowell was told when he applied that “the faculty is not enthusiastic about your coming, but you will be given every privilege.” Dean Farley, who joined the law school staff in 1945 from Tulane Uni versity, had previously taught at “Ole Miss” and served as mayor of Oxford where the institution is located. His father had served as dean of the “Ole Miss” school of law. Successor Named Joshua M. Morse III, associate pro fessor in the law school, will succeed Dean Farley, who recommended his successor highly. The 40-year-old Morse was bom at Poplarville in south Mississippi’s Pearl River County, and was graduated from the university’s school of law in 1948. He had practiced at Poplarville until last year when he joined the law school faculty. Before assuming the deanship, Morse will attend Yale University as a Sterl ing Fellow during the 1963-64 term. In the interim, Assistant Dean John Fox will be acting dean. Dean Farley recently was listed by Dr. James W. Silver, chairman of the Mississippi history department, as one of 39 faculty members of the profes sorial ranks who have resigned since Jan. 1. What They Say Jackson Mayor Refuses School Negotiations Mayor Allen C. Thompson of Jack- son refused to negotiate with Ne gro leaders on the question of deseg regating public schools on grounds that the issue is before the federal court in a suit. That position was taken by the mayor during a round of conferences with the Negro leaders—ministers and busi nessmen — look ing to an end anti -segregation mass marches and demonstrations in the city in which an estimated 900 were arrested for parading without a permit and blocking side walks. Mayor Thomp son told the group that all recreational facilities and public libraries have been “quietly” desegre gated under a federal court order. Mayor Thompson said that no effort will be made to prevent Negroes from using these facilities “so long as they do not try and take them over or create incidents.” Mayor Thompson acceded to addi tional demands by the Negro leaders. However, he refused to name a biracial committee. The first Negro policeman has been employed and six will be on the force within 60 days. Negro leaders have abandoned mass street demonstrations and are concen trating on registration of Negroes as voters.
