Newspaper Page Text
Congresswoman
fights Amtrak’s
‘reign of terror
Page 1
VOLUME 14 NUMBER 16
County voters return incumbents
by Theresa Minor
The face of Richmond County
politics was left virtually un
changed as a result of Tuesday’s
Georgia Primary Elections.
However, there are some excep
tions.
Richmond County Board of
Commissioners, a panel that has
seen only one Black commissioner
will now add two new Black mem
bers to the fold.
Augusta businessman Henry
Howard was unopposed in his bid
for the Seat 1 on the commission.
In spite of that, Howard garnered
1,974 votes in the race.
Longtime Richmond County
Paine College graduate
elected Methodist bishop
The Rev. Woodie W. White,
who graduated from Paine College
in 1958, was elected bishop of the
North Central Jurisdiction of the
United Methodist Church at its
conference in Duluth, Minn.
In an interview with the Duluth
News-Tribune and Herald, White
said the church in the inner city
represents “one of the greatest
challenges in the ministry, because
of the multiplicity of social ills. I
think we are most comfortable in
dealing with people like our
selves —middle-class, in comfor
table situations, who wear the right
clothes, say the right words and
wear the right deodorant.”
Asked what his greatest strength
as bishop would be, he said, “My
love of people, grounded in
faith...lt is amazing what love can
Little Ester dies in Los Angeles
Blues-jazz singer Ester Phillips
died at Harbor UCLA Medical
Center last week.
Death came to the 47-year-old
song stylist at 3:05 a.m., according
to Bob McCaman, a spokesman
for Harbor/UCLA, who added
that the cause of death was not
immediately available.
Phillips had been hospitalized
since July 9, McCaman said,
however, he could not elaborate on
why she was admitted.
The Rev. Johnny Otis, who
Richard Pryor’s $lO million
libel suit may be settled
The National Enquirer may
publish a retraction of a story
which claimed that comedian
Richard Pryor used cocaine while
he was in the hospital being treated
fro burns in 1980, Pryor’s attorney
claimed last week.
Pryor’s attorney, Terry Giles,
said a final settlement “looks very
possible” in the civil suit Pryor
brought in May, 1981 against the
newspaper which published a
report that someone smuggled
cocaine to Pryor while he was in
Sherman Oaks Community Hosp
tial.
“Incredibly, the comic even
used coke’ while still in the
hospital recovering from the
(Die Augusta Neuiß-Heuteui
Educator, Henry Brigham
emerged victorus in a three-man
race for the newly created Seat 4
post. He took 65 percent of the
votes cast, effectively eliminating
the widely held thought that there
would be a run-off for the seat.
Charles F. Grant, a challenger in
the race, had nearly 22 percent of
the votes; while the third conten
der, Freddie L. Handy received
slightly less than 13 percent.
The only other Black to serve on
the commission was former
Augusta mayor Edward M. Mcln
tyre.
Another closely watched race
took place in the 22nd Senate
District between the incumbent,
accomplish when all else fails.”
Born and reared in New York
City, White, 48, is the general
secretary of the church’s General
Commission on Religion and
Race. He received his masters of
divinity degree from Boston
University School of Theology in
1961 and was ordained in 1963. He
was elected as delegates to the United
Methodist General Conferen
ce—the policy making body of the
church —four times.
He went to New Zealand and
Australia in 1972 as a member of a
task force to examine racism there,
and the following year went on a
preaching mission to South
America.
He is married and has four
daughters; the oldest, Kimberly, is
a junior at Paine College.
discovered Phillips when she was
only 13-years-old and remained
close to the singer in later years,
said Phillips had been in failing
helth for the past few years.
“She fought alcoholism and
drugs all of her adult life,” Otis
said.
“I can’t think of a better
example to point out to youngsters
the evils of drugs and alcohol than
Esthr Phillips. Forty seven is
young to have to leave here.
“The last time I saw her at the
hospital she was almost in a coma.
She was very emaciated. The doc
tors told me her liver was prac
tically gone, her kidneys were
horrible burns he suffered during a
cocaine and Enquirer article, a
copy of which was attached to
court papers.
Giles said that Pryor and the
Enquirer have reached a tentative
settlement, but he refused to reveal
details. He said that reaching a
final settlement would take time
since terms have to be approved by
Pryor, who is now shooting a
movie in New York, and the
Enquierer, which is located in
Florida, but employs a law firm in
Washington, D.C. Giles is based in
Santa Ana.
“We have to agree,” said Giles,
“But there are some planks of the
agreement, both minor and
Jazz singer
Little Ester
dead at 47
Page 1
Senator Thomas F. Allgood and
A.K. Hasan, Richmond County
Board of Education president
Allgood defeated Hasan by a two
to-one margin. But Hasan said he
was pleased with the support he
received nonetheless.
“I think our showing was great
considering the circumstances,” he
said, pointing to disparity in finan
cial backing between the two cam
paigns.
Hasan said that he spent less
than SIO,OOO throughout the entire
campaign. Financial disclosures
released by Allgood revealed a
campaign chest in excess of
$72,000.
Hasan concluded that the
Voters to be commended
Editorial
We wish to commend
the voters of Richmond
County for their good
judgment in the Demo
cratic Primary Tuesday.
Tuesday.
The State House race
between George Brown
and Henry Ingram is a
case in point. We believe
that Ingram had every
right to run, and that no one
is immune to challenge for
an elected office.
However, we believe
that George Brown is as
honest, responsive, and
responsible as any elected
official we have. And we
commend the voters of the
88th district for rewarding
him for the good job he
almost at the point of dialysis and
she naa a neart miecuon, uus
said in a telephone interview.
Born Dec. 23, 1935, in Houston,
Tex., Phillips was reared in the
Los Angeles Area.
Otis first heard “Little Esther”
sine when she worked at his
chicken ranch in the late 1940’5.
“I had a little neighborhood girl
to come and help me catch the
chickens (for the customers).
Esther would run and catch the
chickens and one day she went ton
singing,” Otis recounted.
“I dressed her up and took her
to my club, the Barrel House Club,
and she sang and broke it up,” he
Wm , < W H
Richard Pryor
serious, that need to be worked
out.”
Pryor sued the newspaper for
$lO million; Giles would not detail
the proposed settlement or whethr
any money was involved.
Enquirer r ,
settle $lO m
Richard Pryoi 3Ul<
Page 1
August 18,1984
political experience gained in the
campaign has proved to be in
valuable.
‘‘l found the race very in
teresting and exciting. 1 wish Sen.
Allgood the best in his re-election
bid against his opponent.”
‘‘Our campaign was at some
what of a disadvantage because of
our inability to raise enough funds
for the necessary media adver
tising,” admitted Hasan. “We had
no real mechanism to get our ideas
and philosophies across to the
public.”
Allgood now faces Republican
Leona Norton in the November
General Election.
With no opposition in the
has done by returning him
to the State House.
We opposed the re
election of Senator
Allgood. Our opposition
was both to support the
candidacy of A.K. Hasan
and to protest Allgood’s
stance on consolidation
and ward voting in
Augusta. However, his
overall record has been
good, and he is the Senate
majority leader. It is im
portant to this community
to have a representative in
that important and in
fluential position.
Two years ago, Henry
Howard exhausted himself
and his resources running
See Voters, Page 4
said.
Otis took Phillips, along with
her mother, sister and a tutor, on
tour with his band and in 1950
Phillips at the age of 15 had her
first hit record “Double Crossing
Blues” written by Otis.
Phillips recorded other Otis
penned hits which included
“Mistrusting Blues,” “Cupid’s
Blues,” “Wedding Boogey,” and
“Misery.”
Phillips with her “high/bright”
pitched vocie sang in the tradition
of Billie Holiday and Sarah
Vaughan.
After leaving Otis in 1953,
Phillips did not have another really
big hit until 1963 when she
recorded “Release me” which
soared to the top of the nation
record charts.
She toured with the Beatles in
the mid-60’s and later recorded
with Jeff Bech.
Phillips’ life has oftimes been
paralled to that of Judy Garlands,
stormy and turbulent.
Otis, who had planned to
present Phillisp, along with Big
Mama Thornton, Etta James and
Linda Hopkins, in a Johnny Otis
Reunion at the Monterey Jazz
Festival on Sept. 15, called the
singer’s death “untimely.” “She
was a great artist...she would be in
the prime of her career now. She
was a dynamic performer and
great talent,” he lamented.
She had a wonderful sense of
humor. Many times she would say
something that would crack me up.
She was a wonderful and talen
ted perosn. She had a lot of drive
and she’s going to be missed a lot
but her spirit is going to always be
around.”
' Paine graduate
01
lurch
| Page 1
Less than 75 percent Advertising
general election, State Rep. George
Brown will be returning to the
legislature. Brown easily defeated
businessman Henry Ingram in the
race for the 88th District seat in the
Georgia House of Representatives.
Brown had 61 percent of the votes
to Ingram’s 39 percent.
In other races, Charles James
topped Elmer Singley in the Rich
mond County Coroners race.
James will now go against Marvin
Ex-Augustan ’5 preparation
at Josey High School
paved way to career
For former Augustan Gregory
Vaughn Reese, French has played
a dominant role in his life since he
began studying the language as an
eighth grader at T.W. Josey High
School in 1964.
He has a degree in French and
Spanish from Kentucky State
University. He has also earned
master’s degree in French from
Eastern Kentucky University.
However, he says that he learned
most of his French at T.W. Josey
High School where he studied the
language for four years.
When he entered Kentucky'
state, he scored high enough on the
placement test to skip the first two
years of French. And because he
took all of the junior level courses
during his freshman year, and the
senior level courses in his
sophomore year, three new courses
had to be created just for him, in
which he was the only student, in
order for him to get enough credits
to get his degree.
Among the high points of his
experiences at Kentucky State was
the fact that he was able to take
two courses from Hubert
Papaillier, the former minister of
Education in Haiti.
Interesingly, Reese went to Ken
tucky State on a music scholarship—
his instrument? The French horn,
naturally.
For the past 10 years, he has
taught French at Beaumont Junior
High School in Lexington, Ky.
When he began working there,
the system offered three years of French
Black congresswoman
fights Amtrak’s terror
Congresswoman Cardiss Collins
has asked the president of Amtrak,
the publicly funded national
railroad, to appear before her sub
committee Sept. 13 to explain why
his managers in Chicago, and
perhaps other cities, have been
firing and disciplining minorities,
women and union workers without
just cause and fair hearings.
“These managers started a reign
of terror. They destroyed the legal
gurantees that workers would get
impartial hearings and appeals,”
the Chicago Democrat said.
Investigators from her Sub
committee on Governemt Ac
tivities and Transportation learned
just this week such abuses may be
common in a number of cities
around the country and that high
officials at headquarters in
Washington, D.C., may know
that.
“The hearing in Washington
DC., will get into the details of
when this system of abuse came
into being and which top managers
Woodward for the post in Novem
ber. Augusta Judicial Circuit
Prosecutor Sam Sibley defeated
Stephen Curry for the district at
torney’s slot.
Also, Assistant Solicitor
Michael Eubanks pulled off a last
minute win against Bobby Barton.
And a run-off is slated in three
weeks between Augusta attorney
DeWitt Dent and Gayle Hamrick
for the state court judge position.
1 * >
I *
'’ I >
Greg Reese
subsequently, the system was cur
tailed for three years and only a 12-
week exploratory program was of
fered. Reese taught the program
and the students who got just 12
weeks wanted a full year. So great
has been the enthusiasm for the
course that the entire three-year
program has been reinstated
Resse’s wife, the former Linaa
Utley, is also from Augusta. They
met at Miles Memorial C.M.E.
church, but did not begin dating
until their senior year in high
school.
They are the parents of 12-year
old indentical twins. Yvonne and
Yvette.
Resse the son of Mr. Arthur
Resse Sr. and Mrs. Hattie Resse,
both of Augusta.
have know about it. It seems that
ambition motivated some officials
in various parts o the country to
get tough with workers as away of
showing they were good managers.
I’m going to make sure this non
sense ends, Mrs. Collins said.
Employees have been disciplined
for minor offenses. One was fired
because one day discouraged
customers in his case from
buying a brand of soda that was
difficult to reach in the storage
cabinets. Then, in an act of
“charity”, his manager rehired
him, she said.
In another case, Mrs. Collins
continued, a manager told his train
chiefs to hand out more
disciplinary notices each month,
then made sure employees would
not get a fair hearing.
In other cases, a manager would
offer to reduce the punishment if
employees would plead guilty.
Workers with families to feed
facing severe punishment really
had no choice but to admit to what
they had not done.
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