Newspaper Page Text
Bennie Williams
Senior Citizen
of the Year
Page 2
Vol. 10 No. 2
Barber decides
to earn masters
license at 63
By Mallory K. Millender
At the age of 63, Verdery
Tutt last year became the
ddest graduate of the Augusta
\rea Technical School.
He decided to go back to
■.chool after having operated a
Successful business for 33
/ears.
“A man sent his son over to
ny barbershop to get an
afro-perm.’ An afro-perm costs
£lB. I said, ‘l’m sorry, but we
laven’t gotten into that.’
■ “I said, ‘You go on down
he street, some of the guys
lown there probably could do
t.’ So he left.
“I stood there in the
window - neither 1 nor my
barber was busy, just sitting
here - and I looked at that
my go down the street and I
>aid, ‘There goes $lB of my
noney going down the street.’
“So 1 told the barber, ‘l’m
joing to do something. I’m
going to get up from here.’
“That was on a Tuesday. I
went to Augusta Tech that
Wednesday to find out the
details.”
The school reluctantly
idmitted him into the 216-year
•program. He already held a
license as a master barber. Now
he is one of the few master
barbers who also holds a
(masters license in cosmetology.
He is no longer frustrated by
customers asking for services
he can’t perform. “Anything
you want done to hair, I can
do it, he said with justifiable
pride, adding that he missed
By Fannie Flono
The Laney-Walker Museum
project, which seemed bogged
n fund-raising efforts last
October, has gotten new life.
Armed with a fund-raising
organization (Del Pass), a
consultant (Lurtin Lipscomb)
md plans for a $3.5 million
facility, directors of the
Laney-Walker museum see
I bright days ahead.
Lurtin Lipscomb, president
!of Fenwick Associates (a
contracting and architectural
firm) and consultant for the
project said that over the two
year fund-raising period there
should be little problem in
getting the needed monies.
Mathematically, it works out
hX - ; <
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■
Architect’s sketch of museum
Augusta
only one class-session in 216
years and finished with almost
a straight-A average.
“If I had known it would be
this easy, I would have gone
back to school 25 or 30 vears
ago, he said, adding that his
business has greatly improved
as a result of his training.
When he built his
barbershop and grill at 1378
Laney-Walker Blvd, in 1947, he
was insuring his survival. “By
operating two businesses I
figured that if 1 fell short on
one, the other would brace me.”
The barbershop has less
overhead and has been his
mainstay, he said.
He has remained at that
location since 1947. While
black nurses were housed at
the Lamar Nursing school, the
grill was a booming business
requiring four employes at the
same time. But in recent years,
his wife, Eulala, operated the
grill. “She joined me after the
children were old enough to
enter college. 1 said as long as
the children were small, her
place was at home with them.”
The younger son, Bryon, is
now employed at Kendall Co.
LaVert is an investigator for
the Richmond County Sheriff s
Department, and Joyce is a
social worker in Maryland.
Mrs. Tutt said that she is
frequently asked how she can
stand being with her husband
on the job as well as at home.
The secret, “is the wall
between us,” she said pointing
to the wall that separates the
barbershop from the grill.
$3.5 million complex planned
for Laney-Walker museum
to be S4BOO a day for two
years, he said. And based on a
population of 60,000 to
70,000 that would be about a
nickle a day from everybody
within the city.
“People look at the great big
figures and get scared, but they
shouldn’t,” Lipscomb said.
The 50,000 square foot
structure will be true to the
African design, both Lipscomb
and museum director and
founder James A. Young 111
said.
The design has three crosses
in it focusing on the religious
aspects of black history.
The design will also include
the influence of the great
pyraminds. “We’re using this as
the oasis of learning.”
$3.5 million
Laney-W alker
museum planned
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A BROADENING CLIENTELE Verdery Tutt sets hair for Mrs. Ruby Ridley
Tutt said that his greatest
inspiration and encouragement
came from his wife.
He is president of the
Augusta Richmond County
Barbers Association, a member
of the Georgia Professional
Barbers Association, the State
Beauty Culturist League, a
Included also will be a
restaurant and observation
tower.
It’s “fairly unique,”
Lipscomb said.
The building is designed for
very little maintenance. The
older the building gets the
better it is supposed to look,
he said.
Directors of the museum
have not given up the structure
at 821 Laney-Walker Blvd,
which was originally to be the
site of the museum.
In fact the building is being
renovated to serve as a
temporary location for the
museum. It will also serve as an
office for the facility.
Young said about $ 1400 had
been raised in the Penny-Dollar
fund-raising campaign in
October aimed at renovating
the historic site as a museum
facility.
The whole idea of a museum
was about to die for lack of
interest and financial support
when Del Pass expressed an
interest in helping with the
fund-raising, Young said.
The fund-raisers will take a
percentage of the money raised
as their fee, he said.
Though the group will not
turn their backs on federal,
state or local funds, the initial
thrust will be a fund-raising
effort from the general public,
Lipscomb said.
“Various packages are being
developed,” he said. They
range from concerts to car
wadies.
One of the first things will
beacon at Antioch Baptist
Church where he is past
superintendent of the Sunday
School.
He formerly served as
treasurer of the CSRA Business
League and as a member of the
Augusta-Richmond County
be a Laney-Walker Mardi Gras
with the crowning of a Miss
Laney-Walker this summer.
Also a telethon is planned for
later this year.
Young said the focus is on
getting the general public to
contribute because of the
unstableness of federal funds.
“We observed the situation
with the Civic Center. They’re
having problems. That serves as
an example. Funds can dry
up.”
“We need public
cooperation.”
But the group will also be
focusing on getting help from
“mother countries” (African
countries), Lipscomb said.
Consistant with the original
plan, the museum will be a
teaching museum housing
cultural materials and artifacts
of Afro-Americans in the
Central Savannah River Area.
Officials said it will be a
place to preserve, exhibit
research and study the heritage
of Afro-Americans, to establish
a permanent collection of
Afro-American Art, to
establish a permanent
collection of memorabilia of
Afro-Americans’ contributions
to Augusta, to establish a
limited permanent collection
of art of other cultures, to
sponsor temporary exhibits, to
promote community outreach
programs, to offer outreach
programs in cooperation with
schools, to offer resource tooks
in the arts, to offer studio
laboratories including a
traveling exhibit and to search
for talent.
Cabinet official
to speak at Paine
Commencement
Page 2
May 31,1980
Democratic Party Executive
Committee.
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PAYBACK! - The message is clear to Dr. Joseph E.
Lowery, President of the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference, who surveys the charred remains of a
business in Miami’s Liberty City where the acquittal of
four white ex-police officers in the fatal beating of black
businessman Arthur McDuffie sparked three davs of
rioting. Sixteen people were killed and SIOO million in
UNCF drive goes over 60 percent
The Augusta United Negro
College Fund Campaign has
reached 60 percent of the
$50,000 goal, Charles Smith,
campaign coordinator,
announced after a reporting
meeting last week.
Four of die 13 campaign
areas have exceeded their goal.
Less Than 75% Advertising
Civil rights group says
Wrightsville mob beats
national SCLC official
ATLANTA -- A mob of
some 20 whites reportedly
attacked and beat SCLC
National staff member, the
Rev. Fred D. Taylor in
Wrightsville, Ga, following the
latest outbreak of racial unrest
in that tiny central Georgia
town.
Taylor, who has been
coordinating a voter
registration drive and selective
buying campaign in
Wrightsville since early April,
was allegedly attacked by the
mob at the Johnson County
Courthouse Square, while
attempting to obtain
information from Johnson
County Sheriff Roland
Attaway concerning 38 blacks
who were arrested earlier that
evening.
“Attaway refused to meet
with me to discuss the arrests,”
said Taylor. “He demanded 1
leave his office, which 1 did.
When I got back out to the
courthouse square the whites
who had been milling around
the square closed in on me,
knocked my glasses off, pushed
me to the ground, then kicked
me and beat me with their
hands and fists,” he said.
The areas are college and
universities, public schools,
friends and Paine College.
“The area chairman for
these four categories have
exceeded their goal through
hard work, dedication and
follow through,” Smith said.
Roscoe Williams, assistant dea
2\UgUSIU A^a'^ics 0 ' 7
new coach
is named
Page 3
Taylor, although badly
bruised, was not seriously
injured. Following the attack
Taylor was taken by Sheriffs
deputies who shoved him into
his car and drove him to a
hotel in Dublin, Georgia,
telling him to stay out of
Wrightsville.
Thirty-eight blacks were
jailed following several racially
motivated confrontations
(during which three people
were injured) Monday between
blacks and white law
enforcement officials.
Blacks had gathered at die
Neely AME Church following
the arres of local civil ughts
leader. The Rev. E.J. Wilson.
Wrightsville police, Georgia
State troopers, who have been
called in by Gov. George
Busbee and Johnson County
sheriffs deputies charged into
the church indiscriminately
arresting nearly all die blacks
who had assembled there,
witnesses said.
Blacks in the town said
Attaway and his deputies also
forced their way into homes in
the black community without
search warrants and arbitrarily
damage was done from fire-bombing, sniping and
vandalism. Lowery was summoned to Miami to help
ease racial tensions. While there he met with U.S.
Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti who is
spearheading a federal investigation into McDuffie’s
death. Photo by Elaine Tomlin.
of students at Augusta College,
Mrs. Janie Keys and Dr. Alfred
Reed at the University of
South Carolina at Aiken, and
James E. Carter 111, assistant
director of minority affairs at
Medical College of Georgia are
chairman for colleges and
universities. Charles R.
arrested women and youths,
using abusive language as they
herded those arrested into
patrol cars.
Most of the 38 arrested were
released from jail last Tuesday
without being charged with
committing any crime.
However, fve persons including
the Rev. Wilson and Johnson
County SCLC president, John
Martin were charged with
inciting to riot.
SCLC National President,
Dr. Joseph E. Lowery met
Tuesday with U.S. Atty. Gen.
Benjamin Civiletti and Assist.
Atty. Gen. Drew Days 111. The
president asked that the Justice
Department file criminal
charges against Attaway and
his deputies.
Justice Department official,
Robert Ensley and a
representative from the
Attorney General’s office have
scheduled a meeting with
members of the black
community in Wrightsville this
week.
In addition, Governor
Busbee has sent a
representative from his office
to “offer whatever assistance
we can.”
Lamback, principal of Peter H.
Craig Elementary School, is
chairman for public schools.
Mrs. Helen McNatt, assistant
librarian at Paine, is
chairwoman for friends, while
Quincy L. Robertson, business
manager of Paine, is chairman
for the Paine College area.
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