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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. 30C