Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

NATIONAL Jim Houston Home Journal NEWSPAPER PAGE 2-A School Board’s Finances Discussed At Meeting Assistant Supt. Seabie Hickson told Board of Education members Tuesday that unless federal impact funds are received soon the county system will have to borrow money to operate until their receipt. He said that if all bills were paid now, the system would be more than SB,OOO in debt. He said a few bills can be postponed, but that such items as quarterly social security, teacher retirement deductions, and others have to be paid on time. Supt. David A. Perdue explained that impact funds for the county for 1971-72 were reduced $1195,000, and that Washington sources say that funds for Houston County may be cut by as much as $465,000 for the 1972- 73 school year. The board approved teacher recommendations for the coming school year. They announced several changes. Ben C. Dickinson, long time principal of Rumble Junior High in Warner Robins, had planned to retire. Perdue said, but the system will set up a Research and Information Specialist Center and Dickinson has been per suaded to stay for “at least a year or two” as coordinator to set up the program. Replacing Dickinson as principal of Rumble will be W. E. Gregory, presently assistant principal at Tabor Junior High School. Another county-wide department to be set up will be a Health and Physical Education Department, to be headed by Joe Sumrall, presently principal of '' ■?■■‘;v > -; ■ * F** M m m * s I - I : . K MtmM * Wps| x , r.dF «T , f/ / BHg j * 1 ®NM . V 1 jm j^M:/ ■ ''-v jflT ,A .JP Ss’ —■ w w Red Carpet Tour Takes A Break At Pabst Plant One of the high spots in this year’s Georgia Red Carpet Tour was a tour of the Perry Pabst Plant and a tour through the City of Perry. Taking a break at the Pabst Brewery during the visit are seated from left, Pat Patillo, president of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce; Dr. Ernst PERRY, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 1972 Warner Robins High School. Replacing Sumrall will be Joseph Smith, now principal of Telfair County High School, Mcßae, Georgia. Glenn Hitchcock, coor dinator of the four-quarter school system to be im plemented here next September, reported on the progress of preparations which included a Newsletter from the Board of Education to parents and students explaining the program. Hubert A Hutcherson, instructional director for the county, presented three members of a team from the University of Georgia who have been visiting Houston County Schools in preparation for a course of intensive training for teachers to be held in the county this summer to help improve the reading skills of students. Dr. Ruth Martin, Dr. Hazel Simpson, and Dr. Louise Tisdale each gave comments on the system, among them a statement by Dr, Simpson that ‘‘Mr. Perdue is so far ahead of the general category of superintendents; he wants things pulled together and organized, and sometimes ruffles feathers in his ef forts." “You’re so far here above most counties,l think a word of commendation is in order,” Dr. Simpson continued. Points brought out were that the problems are children not reading at their capacities, which has nothing to do with grade level. Teachers will learn at the inservice training to diagnose and provide ex periences for children from lower socio-economic levels to help them “understand those little squiggles on paper.’’ The board was told that there is an overteaching of phonic analysis skills, relating sounds in an at tempt to read. During silent reading, they heard, the child is involved in thinking and learns. Teachers will learn to give good individual intelligence tests. Most such tests now are group tests that measure mental capacity as opposed to reading capacity. The board was also told that ’’many eyes" will be on the results obtained by the program in this county. Beechwood Sets Spring Carnival An exciting evening of fun is being planned for a spring carnival at Beechwood School, Marshallville, Saturday, April 22 begin ning at five o’clock. Parents from the five county area will have lots of good food for sale. Ham burgers, hot dogs, barbecue sandwiches, ham and biscuits, sausage rolls, cookies, candies, cakes and pies are just some of the eats. Cokes, sno-cones and coffee will also be available. There will be a Country Store with a variety of items, Bingo, Cake Walk, Fish Pond and much more. Make plans now to come out and enjoy this "Spring Spree” on April 22, Biekert, chairman of tl Corp. of Ludwigshafen, G( Pabst plant manager. St President James Win President Raymond Her* Arnold Winograd. Seated Stanley Smith of Perry. Problems Thrashed Out Black Leaders Meet With Board A group of black parents, represented by Oscar Thomie, president of the Houston County NAACP, and Silas Smith, president of SCLC, met with the Houston County Board of Education Tuesday to ask for “justice” concerning an incident at Northside High School. The group alleged that William Cadwell, Guidance Counselor at the school, called a group of black students “niggers” in front of an auditorium filled with students and teachers. The term is considered racially derogatory and the group told board members the students would never again have respect for the teacher, that his effectiveness at the school was at an end. Before the appearance of the group, Northside Principal Matt Arthur and Cadwell explained what had occurred. Arthur said that he planned to start the assembly program but was called away to attend to a situation that had arisen. He asked Cadwell to start the program for him on Tuesday of last week. Cadwell ex plained that he did so, then sat down at the front of a predominately black section of the group. During the program, he said, he asked the noisy students to quiet down but some catcalls and other noise continued. After the assembly was dismissed, he said, he asked the group to remain seated. Most of them ignored him, and many made comments of the “Who are you to tell us what to do?” type. Cadwell said that he became angry and that remark he made then was, "If your actions are those of a nigger, perhaps you should not be involved in this type school.” He said he immediately regretted the use of the term, admitted his error, and apoligized to those involved who came into the office later. He said that some 8 or 10 students had actually remained seated when he asked them to do so. Prinicpal Arthur ex plained that during assembly periods in the gym. teachers did not sit together but sat in different sections of the gym and had the board of Knoll Ag. lermany; Otto Baumann, tanding from left, Pabst ndham, 3M Company zog and Pabst Vice Pres. 1 at right is State Senator authority to make any necessary corrections in their group. He said that Cadwell had been an out standing teacher and counselor to both blacks and whites and that some of those involved just wanted to make a big issue of the in cident. He said others had accepted it as a regrettable incident and accepted the apology. He said he felt that Cadwell had paid the price, a tremendous emotional price, for what he said. When the black group was seated with the board members, Thomie told the board that the group was “not here to try to crucify a man, but we want justice.” He said the parents felt the students would no longer respect Cadwell, that his effectiveness as a counselor was ended, and that he should not remain in that school. Supt. David A. Perdue replied that there have been incidents when black teachers have abused white students since the initiation of integration in the county school system, but that for the sake of the school system those involved “kept cool, the teachers apologized and let the problem blow over. They were handled at the school level without bringing in anyone outside.” Parents at the meeting were invited to express their feelings about the situation. Mrs. Ruby Ferguson said, “As the parent of a child at Northside High School, I want to say that it was a mixed group, and I un derstand all were making a noise. The children said what 48,157 VEHICLES Record Breaking Tourist Weekend Recorded Here Tourists poured into Perry last week-end like there was no other place in the world for them to land. Literally thousands of automobiles with tourists at the wheels picked Perry as a stop-over on their way to Walt Disney World and other points in the Sunshine State. Every available motel room in Perry was taken on several nights and most restaurants jammed with tourists. Some Perryans who journeyed to Atlanta over the weekend said the nor mally one and half hour drive on Interstate 75 took nearly three hours. Although State Highway Dept, figures are not yet in for last weekend, they are tabulated for the Easter weekend. Many tourist business owners feel that this past weekend will top the Easter rush even though that weekend broke all the records. Over the weekend of March 31, the highway dept, recorded 48,157 vehicles passing through Perry in a 24 hour period. Perry is the site of the one of the most important traffic counters in the state. The highway dept, has a special traffic station here and vehicle counts take place almost every weekend. The Heaviest day on 1-75 prior to Easter, 1972 was Dec. 30, 1971, when the station counted 35,744 vehicles, 21,635 northbound and 14,009 southbound, showing the movement out of Florida at the end of the Christmas holidays. Four days earlier, on Dec. 26,, the counters recorded 14,319 northbound and 17,271 southbound for a total of 31,590 the next to the biggest day in 1971. The counters show that the traffic flows into Florida at the beginning of a holiday weekend and a reversal out they were called in front of everybody. They said they met with Mr. Arthur, and he didn’t deny it for did the counselor. I think the counselor shouldn’t be at Northside. If he felt like that then, he hasn’t changed now. I understand he’s still there. If he’d been black he wouldn’t still be there. If I was a child there, I would have no more respect there, if he called me that. Teachers should be respected.” Dr. W. G. Talbert, board member, replied, “This appears to be a clear matter of discipline, of children not respecting a teacher.” Supt. Perdue said, “Two points have been raised here. What would have happened if the counselor had been black? Let me tell you about recent actions regarding incidents in our schools which we at school level, with students and parents, have worked out, and students respect the teachers as much as ever.” “At Northside Junior High School, a black woman teacher in a math class told a predominately white class, “You’re acting like a bunch of b... 5, using a word that cast aspersions on their parenthood, Perdue said. The parents were so upset that the teacher took a day off, was told to apoligize to the whole group or not return. The first day she returned, she failed to apologize but was given an ultimatum apologize or don’t return. She apologized and the situation was settled. Perdue said that there have been several incidents when black students have referred to white students as of Florida at the end of the The average per day count holiday season. in 1966 was 9,623, in 1967 it The traffic on 1-75, which rose to 11,075, in 1968 to was expected to reach 24,000 12,101, in 1969 to 13,315, in in 10 years, has reached and 1970 to 16,182 and in 1971 to passed that mark in the sue 18,632. years since the express route These figures prove the was opened from Atlanta to statement that good roads Florida in 1966. attract traffic. BY PERRY POLICE Juveniles Arrested In Tape Recorder Thefts In Perry Perry Police Chief B. E. Dennard reported that five black juveniles have been apprehended for the theft of 9 Craig cassette recorders from the former Houston High School building and 8 of the recorders have been recovered. On Saturday night, Patrolman Arthur Buckles picked up one juvenile carrying one of the cassette recorders. At that time it was not known that the school building had been burglarized, Chief Dennard said. The thiefs were reported to' the police Monday morning and the other juveniles who were allegedly involved were taken into custody. Four of the boys were from the Perry area, and the fifth was from Unadilja. The youths were turned over to Capt. Ted Wright of the Houston County Juvenile Department. Bicycle thefts and mailbox vandalism were among police reports for the past week. Russell Hutson, 1423 Tucker, reported a stolen bicycle described as a red Western Auto brand, no “white trash,” which they consider every bit as derogatory as the black students consider the word “nigger.” In another incident, Perdue said, a black teacher at Rumble Junior High School paddled the entire class, consisting of 17 white girls, 7 white boys, and 3 black boys. Under state laws, all paddling is sup posed to be done in the principal’s office with a witness in the first place, he said. Then because of threats from irate parents, the teacher was sent home for his own good. After a week, however, parents and students met, discussed the fact that the man had worked long and hard to become a teacher and had been a good teacher for a number of years and was in danger of losing his job and perhaps job op portunities in the future. All but two or three agreed to have the teacher back and that incident ended. “I still say I don’t think this counselor should remain, he’s supposed to help shape children’s minds,” Thomie said. “Every classroom teacher is a counselor at times,” Perdue replied. “Children have away of forgiving and forgetting if we stay out of the way and leave it to them.” Perdue also said, “Another point that needs clarification is this. Ac cording to my information, Mr. Cadwell did not use the term mentioned in front of the whole assembly. The black students choose their own segregated seating pattern, and there were only a few white students in the wheel covers, and a white seat. Joan Ogletree, 1319 Smoak Avenue, reported a bicycle stolen from her residence. It was a B and G boy’s bike, red frame, with silver fender and white seat. Stanley Booney, 1431 Baker Street, reported that his mail box and the one next door were knocked down. Alexander Gladfelter, 1421 Baker Street, reported that his mail box was torn up. Amos Collins reported to police that a brick had been thrown through a window at the Flint Electric Mem bership Corp. building. Paul Anderson told police someone took the mufflers and tail pipes off his automobile while it was parked at Perry High School. Police records showed that the local hospital reported that Michael Gibson had been shot, and that the wound was apparently self inflicted. Assistant Chief Roy Shellnut and Ptl. Gene Langston investigated an section involved. The assembly had been dismissed and Mr. Cadwell addressed only the predominately black section acting in an unruly manner. He apoligized to any and every member of that group involved who came to the office, and even to others not involved who happed to come with them.” Board member Glenn Heck said, “We need a spirit of forgiveness. I don’t think anything would be gained in transferring Cadwell. Out of our mistakes, we learn.” Talbert said, “Here’s a man who lost his temper in the heat of anger, and you want to crucify him for one mistake.” Thomie insisted they didn’t want to crucify Cadwell, just transfer him. The board voted unanimously to retain Cadwell as Northside counselor. ★ ★★★★★★* WATCH NEXT WEEK FOR SPECIAL FEATURES - LOTS OF NEWS BARGAINS GALORE - RIGHT HERE IN YOUR Houston Home Journal ★ ★★★★★★★ accident on Swift Street at a private driveway. Reports show that J.C. Tharpe, P.O. Box 119, Kathleen, was backing into the road from a private driveway in a 1962 Chevrolet and failed to see a 1970 Chevrolet driven by Clarence Jackson, also of Kathleen, approaching on his left. Tharpe backed into the path of the Jackson vehicle. Dock B. Bush of Unadilla was charged with being drunk under the wheel of a vehicle, running a stop sign, and driving the wrong way on a one-way street following an accident on Carroll Blvd. at Creek wood Drive. Police reports show that Sandra G. Dupree, of Houston Lake Road, was driving south on Carroll Blvd. in a 1971 Datsun, when Bush was going north in the wrong lane in a 1968 Ford, hit the Datsun. traveled ap proximately 400 yards, went down an embankment in wrong way traffic. Bush was treated for a cut on his right leg at Perry- Houston County Hospital.