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Page 6 » SPELMAN SPOTLIGHT » March-April, 1987
Inventor of Cordless Telephone
Prepares New Invention At
Morehouse College
By Robert G. Drummer
At 14, he began to build his
own radio and transmitter
systems. A self-taught elec-
tronicist, he later studied ad
vanced physics and chemistry,
earning a B.S. degree in Voca
tional Education at East Texas
State University, where he also
studied interdisciplinary
sciences.
In 1954, he invented a televi
sion antenna, the size of a silver-
dollar. Five years later, he in
vented and patented the cor
dless telephone. Today, he is
working on a cybertronics con
version system which will con
vert RF energy into electrical
energy, permitting power
generated from radio waves to
transmit into RF energy, in
evitably allowing automobiles to
operate without motors or bat
teries. Who is this genius? He’s
Dr. Raymond Phillips.
Dr. Phillips was born in
Denver, Co., and later moved
to Terrell, Texas. He did his
undergraduate work at South
West Christian College, an all
black institution, where he
received his A.A. degree, after
which he began study at East
Texas State, earning competen
cy credits in the experimental
sciences.
“I was certified there to teach
industrial electronics. As a boy,
I experimented with electronics
and then re-enforced that with
what 1 got in college.”
What he has achieved from
that experience is the motivation
to invent, and has even in
vented his own word, “cyber
tronics” which means “to guide
electrons.”
“All of my inventions have
been monetary. The silver-dollar
size antenna grossed over $2
million in its first three months of
sales. A pressure car wash
system I invented for the home,
which can be connected to an
ordinary water hose, was a
multi-million dollar-a-month in
come. Today, the cordless
(telephone) is a billion dollar in
dustry.”
Phillips is working on his pre
sent device in the Morehouse
College Chemistry Department,
along with contemporary and
educator, Dr. Troy Storey of the
Morehouse faculty.
“I came here in order to help
black colleges finance
themselves as a result of the
development of new, innovative
ideas in technology. When I was
coming along and went out in
to the working world, 1 was the
only and token black in the
research and development field
of my department. For nearly
every thought process or inven
tion I came up with, I had to
compete with 15 white minds,
as compared to my one little
black mind. That’s why I am
here on this project, to help
develop more competent, black
minds.”
Phillips went on to add that
far too often, blacks do not
receive due credit for their ac
complishments. “It wasn’t until
1983 that I was finally recogniz
ed for the cordless. It was
documented in ’56 and ’59; July
(Continued on Page 7)
Filming for Spike’s Movie
Has Been Suspended
By Jennifer Satterfield
With only five weeks left of
shooting, filmmaker Spike Lee
has been prohibited from
shooting at Spelman,
Morehouse, Clark, and Morris
Brown.
After a meeting with the
Presidents and Deans from all
the Atlanta University Center
Schools, four out of the five
decided not to sign a contract
allowing Lee to use their cam
puses. The schools were going
to be compensated according to
the terms in the contract and a
premiere was scheduled with
the proceeds going to the
A.U.C. Schools.
“They are worried that this
will have a very negative effect
on black schools in general. To
day they brought up that it will
affect black people as a whole-
negatively,” stated Lee.
According to Lee, many
speculations have been made
about the movie, like sex scenes
in the trailers and nudity. Lee
says that it is simply not the case
and people are trying to cor
relate “School Daze” to “She’s
Got to Have It.”
“If this was an X-rated movie
or pornographic, Jesse Jackson
would not have said the bless
ing for it and Ozzie Davis and
Stevie Wonder (Wonder is
writing the music) would not be
involved,” offered Lee.
Lee says he understands their
concerns, but it is a matter of
trust. “I’m a product of
Morehouse. My Father went to
Morehouse, my Mother went to
Spelman, my Grandfather went
to Morehouse, and my Grand
ma went to Spelman, so why
would I come back here and do
a film that is going to tear it
down? It is everything that I am
a product of.”
The issues that are important
to black America should be ad
dressed and not swept under the
rug. Lee’s movie attempts to
confront the color issue between
our race out into the open.
The only school that signed a
contract was Atlanta University
and that is where the majority of
the scenes will be shot. Deter
mined not to let this decision in
terfere with shooting, other loca
tions will be used.
He hopes that people will still
want to participate in the film
because it is not everyday that
opportunities like this come up.
Film is forever.
GRENADA
ST. VINCENT
ST. GEORGE’S UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Affiliated Hospitals in
New York Slate
New Jersey
United Kingdom
Approved February 4, 1987 by the New York State Education Department for the
purpose of conducting a clinical clerkship program in New York teaching hospitals.
St. George's received a similar approval in 1985 from the New Jersey Board of
Medical Examiners; this establishes St. George’s as the only foreign medical school
with instruction in English that has state-approved campuses in both New York
and New Jersey.
Over 700 students have transferred to U.S. medical schools. St. George’s has
graduated over 1,000 physicians:
They are licensed in 39 states;
They hold faculty positions in 20 U.S. medical schools - 25% have been Chief
Residents in 119 U.S. hospitals (according to a 1986 survey).
St. George’s is entering its second decade of medical education. In the first decade,
we were cited by The Journal of the American Medical Association (January 1985)
as ranking number one of all major foreign medical schools in the initial pass rate
on the ECFMG exam.
St. George’s is one of the few foreign medical schools whose students quality lor
Guaranteed Student Loans. Our students also qualify for the PLUS/ALAS loans
and, under certain conditions, VA loans. St. George’s grants a limited number ot
loans and scholarships to entering students.
For information St. George’s University School of Medicine /115
please contact c/o The Foreign Medical School Services Corporation
the office of One East Main Street • Bay Shore, New York 11706
Admissions (516) 665-8500
Spelman Offers
Communications Minor
By Sherri McGee
Are you a freshman, unsure
about the area of study you wish
to undertake, or maybe a
sophomore with a selected ma
jor but looking for a minor,
perhaps you are a junior who
wishes to fill that registration
form with a class or two or alter
native interest. Seniors, are you
finished with your major and in
terested in devoting extra time
to a minor? Why not consider
the new Communications
Studies minor at Spelman
College.
The Communication Studies
minor is housed in the Sociology
Department and offers students
seven courses in everything
from interpersonal communica
tion to mass communication.
The minor is open to all majors
and aids students in understan
ding the mass media, in addition
to being able to control their own
communication.
Some of the courses offered
are: Introduction to Human
Communication; Mass Com
munication and Society; In
terpersonal Communication and
Communication and Gender.
Dr. Marsha Houstan Stan-
back is the Director of the pro
gram and also teaches the
courses. Students must com
plete 18 credit hours (six
courses) and take at least nine
of those 18 at Spelman College.
The remaining nine hours may
be taken at nearby Clark Col
lege. Clark also offers classes in
the area of communications.
The English major who minors
in communications may receive
internship credit through the
English Department.
By opting for a communica
tions minor, students may ap
ply classes in areas of
Economics/Management, drama,
drama, education, art,
philosophy, political science and
sociology, toward the 18 hours
needed. Students may also take
the hours in the above mention
ed fields at any school within the
center.
Students interested in obtain
ing additional information regar
ding the Communications
Studies minor at Spelman Col
lege may call the school at
681-3643 and ask for Dr. Stan-
back, extension 480.
Brailsford Back
From p. 5
he told me that the job was
mine. That’s why I say that the
Lord works out every little detail
in my life.
What transitions have you
seen Spelman go through?
CB: With time everything
changes and I think the main
emphasis has changed from
strong liberal art emphasis to
broader ranges of studies. And
of course it’s a sign of the times
and a reflection of society, and
technological demands are dif
ferent. Then there’s also the
issue of where the money goes,
as far as scholarship moneys
and financial aid for the
students. I wonder sometimes if
the whole thing is fair. I know
that the fine arts are neglected,
especially since in the past so
much more attention was given
to the arts. There’s something
good about all of the arts and a
certain amount of open-
mindedness is required to ap
preciate all of the new and good
opportunities that are offered to
young people today.
would you say that
because that the moneys are
not as available as they once
were that the students are
more dedicated?
CB: It’s hard to say that too,
but everything has changed to
such an extent, but don’t get me
wrong, change is good, but then
on the other hand it can cause
other types of problems. I
wouldn’t say that the students
are more dedicated or better but
I think that the priorities are dif
ferent. Alot of the students who
are here now have to work and
that makes a difference in how
much they can give.
Tell me about the Ken
tucky Fried Chicken
Gospelfest.
CB: I entered that competi
tion in September ... In the
mean time I was preparing for
the concert which was the same
day as the finals . . . just as I had
put the gospelfest behind me, I
found out that I had made the
finals. So, I made arrangements
to still go to the finals and make
the concert too. And as a result
I later found out that I had won.
What advice can you give
your Spelman sisters?
CB: The same as I was say
ing before, when you talk about
talent and your ability to do
something, everybody here is
trying to discover what their
talents are and see how far they
can go in the development of
self and I don’t mean just
academically, because you have
so many gifts . . . what you’re
doing is really discovering
yourself and in the process of
discovering yourself, the best
suggestion that I can give is that
you look to find those gifts that
the Lord would want you to use,
to the fullest, don’t ever slight
yourself, for anything that you
have to offer ... be thankful that
you have it and develop it. Be
prayful that you use it well and
be thankful that you have it.
Thank you.