January, 1954
THE FEDERATION JOURNAL
Page 9
ADDRESS DELIVERED
Continued from Page One
this sum had to be made from the Con
tingency Fund.
In the spring of 1944 the Board of Cor
rection and Training sent a committee to
Efland to look over this site with the idea
of utilizing it as a State School. The build
ings had so deteriorated that the place
could not be considered as we had no
funds with which to build. Governor
Broughton was urging action on the part
of the Board, and the Commissioner was
running down every suggestion as to a
location. This was war times and it looked
as if a suitable building could not be
found. Finally an opportunity arose when
the Negro N. Y. A. in Rocky Mount re
ceived orders from Washington to close.
I shall not go too much into details but
any not familiar with Government affairs
has no idea the amount of red tape one
has to face to get an agreement signed.
Governor Broughton threw the prestige of
his office behind it and at the July 1944
Board Meeting I was happy to announce
that the contract for the use of the build
ings had been signed. Even then inven
tories of equipment had to be made and
much renovation of buildings had to be
done to convert them into usable buildings
for this new occupancy. Governor Brough
ton arranged payment for these things out
of the Contingency Fund.
In the meantime the Executive Commit
tee had been busy considering applicants
for a Superintendent and at this same July
1944 Meeting the Committee nominated
Miss Mae D. Holmes for Superintendent
and she was elected as of July 1, 1944,
and has continued to the present time.
From July 1, 1944, to July 1, 1947, Miss
Holmes conducted the School in these bar
racks on the Tar River in Rocky Mount.
It was not a suitable site, the buildings
were inadequate and there was no farm,
but there were some advantages. The
Rocky Mount people were most congenial,
and being situated within the corporate
limits meant that the students had an
opportunity to have more social life. The
girls regularly sang in the choirs of the
town, there were frequent shopping visits
to the stores, and parties and dances were
given at the School to which were invited
the young people of the community. In
this short time the School had made a
place for itself in the community and even
with all the inadequacies the Superintend
ent and staff were loathe to leave. The
move meant going to a strange community,
to a farm home five miles from town. It
did mean the inheritance of substantial
buildings and much equipment for house
keeping and farming.
Only Miss Holmes and a few of us asso
ciated with her know of the struggles en
countered with the setting up of this
School at this temporary location and of
the moving of the School bodily to this
beautiful site here.
It was in the Legislature of 1947 that
a bill was passed discontinuing the Old
Farm Colony which had occupied this site
since 1929 and turning over the site, farm,
buildings, equipment, stock and tools to
the State School for Negro Girls for a
oermanent home. July 1, 1947, was moving
day and what a day it was. The Eastern
Carolina Training School and the Mor
rison Training School helped with their
trucks, buses and boys and within a few
days the 50 girls were in their new home.
In a way the School known generally
as Dobbs Farm began life anew. For the
first time permanent plans and policies
could be evolved. Health plans had to be
made with the local doctors and hospitals.
Ministers were contacted who would as
sist with religious services. It was impor
tant that acquaintance be made with rec
reational leaders, with the welfare work
ers and, yes, with the police. May I say
that this aU was worked out satisfactorily,
largely because of the skill and adminis
trative ability of Miss Holmes. She has
put her life in the Institution and what
you see here in the way of planning and
arangement is distinctly of the Holmes
flavor. She has put much time in the se
lection of her staff and the training of staff
members on the job, so here is an organi
zation to be commended.
Some renovation of old buildings has
been made but this is the first real build
ing program since this School moved
here. It consists of this beautiful building
we are in, a dormitory, and a combined
School and Administration Building. It is
these buildings that we are here to dedi
cate. The regret is that the Gymnasium
and Auditorium which were a part of the
Central Building had to be deleted be
cause of lack of funds. The fact that we
have no Auditorium is the explanation as
to why we are meeting here in the Cafe
teria today. Requests will be made to fu
ture Legislatures to add these wings to
the building.
And to whom are we dedicating these
buildings? To the North Carolina girls
who are in need of the care and training
this School can give. A generous State
has contributed the money, much care and
planning has gone into the buildings, and
we want them used for many years. They
must be taken care of, and I am sure they
will be for “housekeeping” is a big part of
the training here.
So, Miss Holmes, I congratulate you,
vour staff and your girls on occupying
these beautiful buildings. Nine years may
seem a long time and the road you have
traveled since you came to Rocky Mount
and occupied the temporary buildings
there, then moved here and set up house
keeping anew, may seem long and paved
with many stumbling blocks, but this is
a new day and the road ahead should be
smoother. Along with the dedication of
these new buildings, may we dedicate our
lives to the training of North Carolina
girls to good citizenship and thus fulfill
NEW BUILDING DEDICATED
Continued from Page Four
general appearance, excellent behavior,
posture, attention to the director all
served to impress the audience with the
great power of Christian training and its
inescapable influence upon the lives of
these boys, who otherwise, might, even
at their tender ages, become outcasts of
society. These boys, not alone through
music, but also through a wide variety of
other helpful activities at Morrison are
being led into the straight and narrow
paths of noble living, with the fervent
hope of everyone that eventually they
may climb high up on the beautiful hill
of useful citizenship.
Mrs. Brown’s usefulness at the school
is felt all over the campus. She deserves
the gratitude of all citizens, and indeed
the gratitude of every club woman whose
high and holy calling is to rescue the per
ishing and lift up the fallen in our midst.
Unstinted honor. Professor Brown justly
and worthily deserves, but all of us rec
ognize that one great power behind his
throne—that far-seeing, gentle, constant,
irresistible, uplifting power of Josephine
Stevens Brown.
Club Poem
When the meeting’s called to order
And you look around the room.
You’re sure to see some faces
That from out the shadows loom;
They’re always at the meeting
And they’ll stay until its’ through-
The ones that I would mention
Are the always-faithful few.
They fill the many offices.
And are always on the spot,
No matter what the weather.
Though it may be awful hot;
It may be dark and rainy.
But they are tried and true;
The ones that you rely on
Are the always-faithful few.
There are lots of worthy members.
Who will come when in the mood.
When everything’s convenient
They can do a little good;
They’re a factor in the meeting
And are necessary, too;
But the ones who never fail us
Are the always-faithful few.
If it were not for these faithful.
Whose shoulders at the wheel
Keep the institution moving
Without a halt or reel.
What would be the fate of meetings.
Where we claim so much to do?
There surely would be failures
If we lacked the faithful few.
the statute of 1943 which established the
Institution for this purpose. In reality it
is a Character Training School, a Heart
Training School, if you please, and God
grant that it shall be held always to this
high purpose.