Small Baha bi inglng Religion
To Huntersville Prison Inmates
CHAHLOTTE
A chance Wednesday night
visitor to the state prison at
Huntersville might be mildy
dumbfounded lo bear the har*
monic strains of a hymn or the
rousing melody of a “spiritual”
wafting through the small cell-
lined corridors of this camp for
Negroes near Charlotte.
On closer Inspection, he would
discover that the music comes
f/om the direction of the camp’s
dining hall. And a slight in
vestigation would quickly reveal
to him that on this night, in
mates of the camp gather to
'talce part in what many of us
talce part in on Sunday morn
ings. Instead of congregating in
a splendid, belfried edifice of
stone with ornately stained
glass windows and a lofty vault
ed ceiling, they huddle together
admlst the bleak confines of
steel bars, hiursh lights and the
forboding sight of armed giiards
in the camp’s small dining room
to take part in their weekly
Wednesday night worship ser
vices.
Chiefly responsible for bring
ing to the State’s “forgotten
men” this slice of spiritual acti
vity is a small band of ministers
and laymen of Charlotte. And
two of the most unselfish and
tireless workers with the prison
ers in this project are Rev. O.
R. Blakely, pastor of the Clin
ton Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion
church, and Ned Davis, officer
of the church.
Rev. Blakely delivered hia
15th sermon in his series last
week and numbered 45 of the
prisoners as converts during his
service. Davis, who is superin
tendent of Clinton A.M.E.'^ion’s
Sunday school, directs the sing
ing activities at each of the
Wednesday night services.
Davis’ concern for the prison
ers’ spiritual well-being does
not stop there, however. For he
has issued a standing invitation
to the inmates to spend their
first Sunday of freedom in his
church and to be his dinner
guest.
Davis has developed the sing
ing services into an event which
is looked forward to each week
by the inmates. In addition to
directing the song service, Davis
has organized a prisoners’ vocal
ensemble, composed of five
voices, which is often heard at
the Wednesday night services.
He has also arranged for out
side musical groups to partici
pate in the services from week
to week, and some of the singers
who have come to Huntersville
include the Charlotte Sons, tlie
Songs of David, the Morning
Gate Jubilee, the Clinton A.M.E.
Zion church Spiritual choir, the
Gospel Harmonizers and the
Gospel Knights.
Rev. Blakely’s weekly exhor
tations have not been in vain. In
addition to his 45 converts, three
of them, upon returning to free
dom, have joined his church and
are among its most ardent wor
kers.
Prison officials are much in
aci!brd with this project for they
recognize in it a much needed
supplement to the camp’s re
habilitation program. Camp su
perintendent L. W. Connell has
heaped unstinted praise on the
work of these men. One of the
prison guarb leads a Sunday
school lesson each Sunday.
Other mem^rs of this small
band who luVve lent their sup
port to this Wednesday night
project artf Rev. Rayford
Thompson,-itwtor of the Walls
Memorial AJi.E. Zion church,'
Rev. James K. Booker, superin
tendent of the Charlotte Rescue
Mission, and Rev. J. J. Stratlng,
assistant pa^r at the Rescue
Mission. )
J
SERGEANT PRESTEE DAVIS, formerly held as a prisoner of war ky tke Coramunirt* ia K«-
rea.'is shown In Durham after his recent retnm with members of a conmiittc* mappiag plaas f«r
a celebration to honor the city’s ex-POWs. Sergeant Daris, wh« makes Us home in Dnrfcani with
his father, Jnliiu Davta on Walton Aveniie, was rctnrscd in th« early ataffca of tha opcrattm "Big
Switch.”
NAACP Asks
Horne Be Kept
In Housing Post
NEW YORK
l^esident Dwight D. Eisen-
honrer has been asked by the
National Association for the Ad
vancement of Colored People to
retain Frank S. Home in his
post as assistant to the Adminis
trator in race relations in the
Housing and Home Finance Ad
ministration.
The NAACP telegram, signed
by Roy WiliOns, Administrator,
urged Mr. Horne “be retained on
the basis of his expert know
ledge of the field in which he
operates end the superlative
service he has given govern
ment housing irrespective of
politics, race, color, or region.”
The telegram was prompted,
the NAACP said, by word that
“under purely political prea-
sure” Horne’s resignation was
being requested.
Director Named
For Nursing
School AtA&T
GREENSBORO
The director of the new school
of nurse training to open at A.
and T. College on September 14
was named last Saturday by Dr.
F. D. Bluford, president of the
college.
Mrs. Wllletta S. Jones, Deep
Aver, Conn., instructor in nur
sing at Skidmore College of
Saratoga Springs, N. Y., and
New York City, will head the
brand new program which was
approved by last State Legisla
ture. She arrived in Greensboro
last week-end to go over plans
with Dr. Bluford to inaugurate
the new instructional program.
A graduate of Hunter College
in New York City with the ba
chelor of science degree in nur
sing education, she holds the
master of science degree in the
same field from Columbia Uni
versity. She is pursuing the Ph.
D. degree, also at Columbia.
Mrs. Jones was called to Skid
more College during the past
year to assist in the develop
ment of a new program of in
teresting courses in mental hy
giene with the basic nursing
curriculum at thi^ college.
She received her basic nurse
training at Lincoln Hospital in
New York City and served as
instructor on the staff of the
Hairlem Hospita 1 of Nursing,
also of New York, from 1949
through 1952. Active in nurse
professional organizations in
New York she holds member
ships in the Natloniil League For
Nursing and the Americian Nur
ses Association.
Officials at the college re
ported that already 70 applica
tions have been received from
prospective students, far above
the minimum of 20 suggested by
special committee appointed
by Gov. William B. Umstead as
a basis for opening the new
school at A. and T. College.
Dr. Bluford told reporters
this week that on the basis oi
present progress, the aurae
training program will be ready
for applicants with the registra
tion of freshmen students on
Monday, September 14.
-xtli
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A small band of ministers and laymen of Charlotte have combined their services, to bring week
ly religiomi. woiishlp services to inmates of the State Prison Camp at Huntersville. In the above pic-
twe, a gfjpiip ef tha priaoneni are shown during one of the regular Wednesday night services held at
the oamp. Showa standhiK, left to right, are Rev. Rayford 'llioiiipseii, pastor of the Walla Memorial
A. M. E. Zion Church of Charlotte; Bev. J. J. Stra ting, assistant pastor at the Charlotte Rescue Mis
sion; Rev. James K. Booker, Superintendent of the Charlotte Re^ue Mission; Rev. F.'R. Blakely,
pastor of the Clinton Metropolitan A. M. E. Zion Church; Ned Davis, officer of the Clinton A.
M. E. Zion Church, and two unidentified inmates. Rev. Blakely has just completed a series of IS
weekly meetings with the prisoners during which 45 were converted. Davis organized the prison
ers’ singing groups and the first five inmates shown seated at the right comprise a quintet organ
ised by Davis.
Court RephKement May
Hold Key To Bias Cases
SPECIAL TO THE imES
WASHINGTON
The sudden death of Chief
Justice Fred M. Vinson of the
Supreme Court early this
week threw the nation into a
round '^of speculations over
who will be appointed to re
place the 63-year-old Ken
tuckian and the possible effect
his replacement will have on
some weighty issues involv
ing social and economic issues
now before the court.
Vinson died early Tuesday
morning in his suite at the
Park Sheraton Hotel of a
heart attack.
Aside from the usual
amount of speculation which
is aroused over the replace
ment for a Chief Justice of
the nation’s highest tribunal is
the added significance given it
by the forthcoming hearing of
cases involving segregation in
public schools in the South. The
rearguments are scheduled for
October, less than one month
away.
It' is the general concenus of
most of the prognosticators that
the new replacement will be a
Republican. It was noted that
that all of the members of the
present court were appointed
during the Roosevelt-Truman
administrations.
Defenders of segregation are
openly hoping for the appoint
ment of a southerner. And the
men most often ,named as “south
ern hopes” are Judge John J
Parker, Charlotte, of the Fourth
Circuit Court of Appeals, and
South Carolina’s Gov. James
F. Brynes.
Parker is easily labelled as a
Republican, but Byrnes’ party
affiliations are not so easily dis
cernible. The South Carolina
chief executive spearheaded the
formation of the Dixiecrat
Party in 1948, but in the last
election became a “Democrat for
Eisenhower.”
(Please turn to Page Eight)
jyniFftuTii
THIRTY YEARS THE OUTSTANDING WEEKLY OF THE CAROLINAS
Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at Durham, North Carolina, under Act of March 3,1879.
VOLUME 30—NUMBER 34
DURHAM, N. C., SATURDAY, SEPT. 12, 1953
PRICE 10 CENTS
N. C’s Rev. P. A. Bishop
New Lott-Carey He^
BALTIMORE
Dr. P. A. Bishoi^, of Rich
Square, North Carolina, was
elected president of the Lott
Carey Baptist Foreign Mission
Convention here Thursday after
noon, September 3, at the regu
lar session here at Enon Baptist
Church.
The convention opened on
Monday, August 31, and closed
on Friday night September 4
with the honorable Clarence L.
Simpton, Liberian Ambassador
to the United States bringing
the closing message to the more
than 2,000 messengers and visi
tors from twenty-four States,
four foreign countries and the
District of Columbia.
In a most challenging address
here on Wednesday night at a
combined meeting of the con
vention in Douglas high school
auditorium. Ambassador Jac
ques Leger, Haitian ambassador
to the United States, denied that
Haiti is opposed to “the designa
tion of a colored American am
bassador” to Haiti.
Leger told the assembled dele
gates who have missionaries as
signed to this country that the
government of my country was
“very surprised” to be charged
with liaving opposed the ap
pointment of a Negro. Speaidng
further he said, “The Secretary
of State for the presidency of
Haiti and myself iiave firmly de
nied these rumors”.
¥114,000 Collected
According to the annual re-
(Please turn to Page Eight)
MRS. WILLETTA S. JONES, left. Deep River, Conn., recently appointed director of
thenewSchoolof Nursing to open at A. and T. this Fall, discusses the new program toith
Dr. F. D. Bluford, president of the college. She will officially assume the new post with
the opening of the Fall gtwrter at the college on September 24.
N.C.REALTISTS
TO HOLD MEET
IN DURHAM
DURHAM
A special meeting of the North
Carolina real estate builders as
sociation has been scheduled for
Friday night, September 11 here.
H. M. Michaux, president of
the state association and Dur
ham real estate executive, and
Clarence M. Winchester, Greens
boro, secretary of the group,
made the announcement of the
meeting in a joint statement
here early this week.
The meeting is scheduled for
7:30 o’clock p.m. at the Donut
Shop.
According to the announce
ment, W. H. Aiken, Atlanta
president of the National As
sociation of Real Estate Brokers,
and F. Henry Williams, general
(Please turn to Page Eight)
Executive board members of the Lott Carey B aptist Foreign Mission Convention which met in
Baltimore August 31-September 4 at Enon Bap tist Church are shown here. S^ted on first r«w,
left to right, are Drs. C. T. Murray, Washington, D . C.; A. W. Brown, Richmond, Va.; W. C. Somer
ville, Washington, D. C.; V. G. Wilson, Portsmouth, Va.; W. L. Bansome, Richmond, Va.; aad A. J.
Edwards, Washington, D. C.
Second row, same order, are Mrs. W. L. Ransom*, Richmond, Va.; Mrs. C. E. Griffen, Nerfelk,
Va.; Mrs. R. L. Hobbs, Philadelphia; Dr. R. H. Thonitoa, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Dr. JR. M. Pitts, WiMtm-
Salem, N. C. On third row, left to right, are Attorney Walter Washington, Washington, D. C.; Mrs.
Ellen Alston,(Baleig;h, N. C.; Dr. O. O. Bullock, Washington, D. C.; Dr. i. H. Bandolph, WaahlngtM,
D. C., and Dr.*A. L. James, Roanoke, Virginia.
Shown standing are, left to right, Bev. W. B. Ball, Richmond, Va.; Dr. Thomas Kilgore, New
York; R. L. Holman, Norfolk, Va.; and Rev. W. E. Parham, Colnmbns, Ohio.
A & T Grad Gets DSC
GREENSBORO
Lt. James O. Beckett, New
York City, an A. and T. College
ROTC graduate, was recently
decorated with the Army’s Dis
tinguished Service Cross for gal
lantry in action.
An officer of the 31st (Polar
Bear) Infantry Regiment, Bec
kett was presented the medal
by Maj. Gen. Arthur G. Tru
deau, 7th Division commander
at an impressive formal cere
mony held at division headquar
ters in Korea.
I
The citation stated that Bec
kett, while engaging the enemy
last January, sighted a distress
signal flare in the area of a con
tact patrol which had been dis
patched earlier, and immediately
organized a squad of 12 men to
move to the rescue.
Through the lieutenant’s lea
dership the squad was successful i tile lines, Beckett was informed
in penetrating an enemy en- that 4here were still four men
circlement and reaching the am- on the position and *that one
bushed patrol. While leading the man was taken prisoner by the
wounded men back ttirou^ hos-1 (Please turn to Page Eight)
CIO GIVES aSH TO NAACP FOR
SCHOOL SEGREGATIOH CASES
The CIO has contributed $3,
500 to help finance legal pre
parations for the forthcoming
re-hearing by the U.S. Supreme
Court of the school segregation
cases, it was announced today
by Secretary-Treasurer James B.
Carey..
Carey, who also heads the
CIO Committee on Civil Rights,
pre^nted the check for $3^00
to Thurgood Marshall of the Na
tional Aasociation tw the Ad
vancement of Colored People.
Marshall la counsel for tlM
NAACP and has taken a leadiac
role in the lengthy court proraM
on school segregation. Carey has
alao advised the NAACP that Vtm
^fullest cooperation imI**
tance** of the CIO Legal Depart
ment headed by Arthur J. OoM-
berg. will be avaUaU*.