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YEARS OF CONTINUOUS PUBLIC SERVICE LXX1I SEGREGATION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS COURT At Beach Adult Educational Center Commencement ! tL to R> Miss Piiyllis Krav- itch ' ' local attorney, presents 1 certificate to a graduate ol the Beach Adult school while to her left Mrs. PLANS IN THE MAKIMi FOR m MEMORIAL BAY PARADE DR. WALTON DIES SUDDENLY THOMAS v Wallen, Si., prominent dentist, died here Wednesday of * as t week following a heart attack, mul was buried Saturday, the (Contiuueo on Page Four) VANCE ALLISON INSTALLS JUNIOR AUXILIARY On Saturday at F 00 p. m. nior Auxiliary to the lison Post. No. 2933. Foreign Wars, was installed the post home, 511 W. Park enue. Visiting auxiliary offi- rs ol the first district and • Dorothy R. Lampkin, supervis- or of the school, holds rate to picsent to hex. giadu- ate. At extreme right is shown Dean Geraldine Hurd Penn, the WHITES ENTER ELKS ) ORATORICAL CONTEST MEMPHIS - < ANPi. Several' white youngsters may take the j platform this summer when the Elks hold their annual oratori- .cal contest for scholarships in eonnection with the coming national convention in Chicago, according to Lt. George W. Lee, • hcad of thr ‘ the Elks dc P an ' | of education. Winners of regional contests and the national are awarded COMMUNITY HOUSE OBSERVES ITS FIFTH ANNIVERSARY Tlie Montgomery Community House observed its fifth anni- versary on Sunday, May 10. j vith a special program in the j Q 0mmun xty House Auditorium. ] Mrs. Ophelia Lee Mclvcr, prin- cipal of the Haven Home school >\ i.- the s taker H( , r subject was "The Department of Ga. were Sister Eugie Moore, Sister Gertrude Neary, district president, and he installing officer. Sister Lydia Alexander of Roy A \foore Post, No. 7751. Officers of the Junior Ausil- commencement speaker, as *stie delivered her address to an overflow audience .n Beach , High School auditorium. U5cc story in the Butter.iy s Trail on Page 5.> scholarships to the collof their choice. Down in E[ Paso Tex., two white schools have accepted invitations to compete this year—H. L. Washington Texas chairman of education . reported to Lee. Washington said more are to follow Five whites ar one Negro battied it out in the Evansville. ........... ..._________ _______ (Continued on Page Four) Community and Human Ite- lations.” Special numbers were rendered by the Haven Home School chorus with Miss Bcr- n ‘'- a IHaiby, directoi, and the Alfrcd E Beach chorus. Pi of Peter 1 Smalls, director. Mrs. , Elizabeth Grant was honored _ (Continued on Page Seven) —Photo by ^Gloria Cecil's " Photo iary are Mtes Omega' Ryais, president: Miss Gloria Ann Walker, first vice presi¬ j dent; Miss Gloria Rachel Wil- ! (Continued on Page Seven; 1 SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, MAY 20, 1954 WASHINGTON — iANPi — Racial segregation in public schools was declared unconsti- tuttonal by a unanimous decis¬ ion handed down Monday by the United States Supreme Court. ; However, the court lias post¬ poned putting the transition I nto immediate effect so as to allow the affected school sys¬ tems to present arguments as ; to how best minimize the diffi¬ culties attendant upon the change. The court ruling affects the district of Columbia and seven- icon states where segregated schools arc maintained. The long-awaited decision was read by the chief justice, sari Warren, former governor af California. In reading the decision, Warren said: ‘'Equal but separate theory has no place in public, schools ; Segregation generates in the hearts and minds of children feelings of inferiority. in outlawing ... .segregate! schools the court reversed th< separate but equal doctrine es- abhshed in 1898 in the famous The Forest City Veteran 'ouncil win cclebraie its annual Memorial Day services with r parade and special ceremonies at Cann Park. Sunday, May 30 The parade will commence a i - 30 P- m - IIu11 ,incl Wes I Bl0ad streets. j This council is composed o /eterans representing the Amcr- , can Legion. Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled Veterans, Marini Corps. Veterans of America, anr °^ ler veterans organizations. This affair is an annual occas- on dedicated to the deceased :omrades of all wars. William A. Odom, Service Off¬ icer of Legion Post No. 513. is ..he Memorial Day parade and program chairman. Commande. C. O Ryais of Vance Allisoi Post, VFW, has been re-elected to serve as parade marshal. Comrade Odom and his staff , j jp rec j xruell, Gcnard Calloway Solomon K. Matthews,II, and C. O. Ryais extend an invitation j to all veteran and fraternal organizations to participate. The guest speaker for this liistoric.nl occasion will be Prof. Robert Paul Jordan, principal of William James high school, Statesboro. Prof. Jordan is a resident of Savannah, having attended school at Beach. Sav¬ annah State and Columbia uni- versity. Several top local and out of tow-n bands will participate. Law Praises Supreme The decision of the United States Supreme Court in out- 'awing public school segregation was praised yesterday in a orepared statement by W. W. Law, member of the NAACP Board of Directors and dent of the Savannah Branch, NAACP as follows- “There is no doubt as to the soundness of the decision ed down by the U. S, Supreme Court declaring racial segre- gation in public schools an- constitutional. May 17, will long be remembered as a great day in the fight for free- dom whlch beean in the oarly days of this republic. ‘This clear pronouncement against the evil of segregation is long overdue; nevertheless. we are joyful beyond mere Plessy vs Ferguson case. That ase involved segregation on rains. In many respects the ruling s the most important court decision affecting Negroes since the Dred Scott decision in In that case. Chief Roger Taney said Negroes haa no rights the white man had to respect. Monday's ruling was on five cases challenging segregation, which had been before the fed¬ eral court for more than a year. Although outlawing jim crow schools, the court said the act- lal backing up of the ruling be delayed because of issues in¬ volved. The opinion is expected to receive opposition from tv any white educators and local offi¬ cials. It remains to be seen whether >r not some southern states will take drastic action to cir- •umvent the high tribunal's ruling. Governors of Georgia and South Carolina earlier tated they would abolish public ichcol systems in their states f segregation were outlawed. 4ow that that has occurred, it is up to the chief executives to act. Background of 5 School Cases Wtth the momentous decision ■ow history, it is appropriate o review the origin of the •uses ruled on Monday. Three of the cases were sim- .Continued on Page Seven) ATTENDING CONFERENCE IN CALIFORNIA E. C Blnckshear, grand sec¬ retary, and R. W. Gadsden, chairman of Foreign Corres¬ pondence of the Grand Lodge, F vA.M. of Georgia, left Sunday for Los Angeles, California, where they will attend the an- nual Grand Masters’ Conference. I i j j PRIZE WINNER—Mrs. S. M. Norris, 542 East Park Avc., is shown with tne savannah Gab Co representative who presented her with the grand prize she won at the cooking school .sponsored bv the Savannah Gas Co. last week at the City Auditorium. The prize consisted of ; a table top gas hot water i,eater a nd a dryer. Mrs. Norris is recreation leader at the Craw- f 0rd playground, and secretary of the First Evergreen Baptist Church. SEVENTEEN OPPORTUNITY FELLOWSHIPS AWARDED NEW YORK—(ANPi Some 17 Negroes were among 43 per¬ sons winning Opportunity fel¬ lowships for the 1954-55 school year, it was announced this week by the John llay Whitney Foundation, donors of the awards. j This raised the total to 103 Negroes among 243 winners during the five years of the foundation's existence. The ; foundation is a kind of succes¬ sor to the famed Rosenwald fund of some years ago. Winners of the 1954- 55 awards were: Miss Yvonne Patricia Carter, (Continued on Page Seven) words. We are happy because the decision signifies a victory n °t only for the Negro but for the cause ol freedom and de- n50c racV itself. It. also, em- Pt ia; dzes the great lai'h that we k ave always had in this " rea t country of ours. In out first petition before the high court, we suffered defeat in the shameful Dred Scott de- c j S j on of 1857 > which ruled that the Negro was not a citizen*. yet we were not discouraged at -) d have gone again, and aga jn, and again to the courts 1 . vith our gre iviance, thereby demonstrating our genuine faith in the democratic procea- ses “Our faith has been rewarded with all nine judges in a una- (Continued on Page Eight; XMAS SEALS SALES HIGHEST SINCE 1945 In his summary report at the recent Joint Board Meeting of Chatham - Savannah T. B. Association, Wilton C. Seott. public relations officer at Sav¬ annah State college and general chairman of the Negro division of the Christmas Seals pro¬ gram, stated that "cooperation" played an important role in making the division's seals more successful than any peace- time year. The total of $3,263.63 was contributed for tue 1953 campaign as against for the 1952 sale. The Christmas Seals program started in 1932 and the War Boon years of (Continued on Page Severn TROPHIES FOR THE K .v P WOMEN — During the recent executive sessions of the Nat¬ ional Association of Negro Business arid Professional Wom¬ en'.- Clubs in Jamaica, New York. leaders of the Association paused to receive trophy con- I tributions from The Coca-Cola Member Audit Bureau Circulation* Price 7c Company. Above Moss H, Kendrix pre¬ sents cups to Mrs. Florence Madison Hill, second from left. of Philadelphia, who Is director of the Association’s "Miss B v P Woman of the Year national popularity contest, while Dr. NUMBER 33 32 CAB DRIVERS, DISPATCHERS GET CERTIFICATES Two groups of cab drivers ard dlspachers of lhe Safety (jap company received certifi- cates for completion of a 10- nour course in human relations spnsored by the distributive education department of the Savannan Vocational school, The exercises were held Frida,* (Continued on Page Seven) Lucie Thompson, second from right, and Mrs. Jean Drew Lightfoot, look on. Dr. Thomp¬ son. Chicago, is president of the B. and P. organization. Mrs. Lightfoot joins The Coca-Cola Company shortly to handle women’s activities.