Aulo Wreeit
EMBBZmillT TRUL KGMS
Read the fuU text of the Uatement
on segregdOion made to t^e General Aa-
$embly on Pages two and Seven.
PRCE
10c[
PAY NO MORE
VOLUME 31—NUMBER 11
DURHAM, N. SATUBDAT, FEB. 26, 1955
If CBTfS
30DPR0mTSEI»EGAT10NBIl
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Booker T. Washington Memorial Goes On Block
Leaders From All Over N. C
Oppose Attempts To
Circumvent Supreme Court
Webster Pleads
“Not Guilty” In
Shortage Case
GREENSBORO
N. C. Webster, former A.
and T. Cpllege bursar, went
on trial here Monday for the
alleged misappropriation of
more than $100,000 of the
schools’ fund during the 30
years he was employed as an
official. Although indicted on
23 counts Welter 19 being
tried on only five charges. He
has pleaded not guilty to all
of them.
After his dismissal in Feb*
ruary of 1953 Webster de>
nled that he had embezzled
any of the school’f funds
and indicated that • pro
per investigation might re
veal that others were re
sponsible for the shortages.
After his indictment by a
grand jury he was ordered
brought into court where-
upn he wu finally releas
ed ander a bond of $15,000.
Not only is the trfal expect
ed to last for several days but
it Is expecteJ toTTe one of the
most complex, since more
than 60 witnesses, a number
of whom will come from other
Htatea, have been subpoenaed.
Manyof the witness are or were
teachers at the college, and oth
ers were employed in Webster’s
office from time to time.
The bearing has been post
poned several time due to
either the llneas of Webster or
his attorneys.
One of the main witnesses
called to the stand ToMday
was M; L. Widenhonse, Ba-
lelfh anditor, who headed the
investifation into the alles-
ed misappropriations. Widen-
honse is chief anditor of the
field andltlnr force employed
to inspect all state tnstitn-
tions.
He testified that he had spent
several montlis on the A. and T.
campus examining receipt rec
ords of the bursar’s office. He
stated that after about 30 days
4)f his investigation the the ex
ecutive committee of the Trus
tee Board of the college an
nounced that Webster had sud
denly been discharged due to
the fact that “rirregularities”
had been discovered in ac
counts.
After Widenhonse bad been
on the stand for about 18 min
utes Jndfe Snsie Sharp of
BeidsvUle adjourned the
■ion until 9:S0 a. m. Wednee-
day.
Other witnesses testifying
In the Tuesday hearing were Dr,
r. D. Bluford, president, and
Mrs. Carrie W. Harper, employ
ed in the bursar’s office since
1948. Her testimony lasted for
about two and a half hours and
she told the court that all of the
mall addrMsed to the college
was opened by Webster, includ
ing VA checks. She also testi
fied that other employes in the
.pWxn knew toe combination to
the safe and had keys to the of
fice. She stated that Webster was
supposed to make ell deposits to
the bank. She testified further,
however, that whether or not he
' made the deposits. “1 don’t
know.r
Several officials from two
Greensboro banks were also
eaUed to the stand and testt-
(Plsase turn to Page Sight)
No Change In
A&T Pre^ency
Say Officials
GREENSBORO
Rumors concerning a possible
change in the presidency at A.
and T. College circulated about
the state early this week were
scorched late Tuesday afternoon
by officials of the college trus
tee board.
An exclusive story appearing
In the Raleigh (News And Ob
server) on Wednesday, Feb. 16,
stated,'“Rumor: Dr. Harold L.
Trigg, Raleigh Negro educator.
State Board of Education mem
ber and former president of
Raleigh’s St. Augustine’s Col
lege, 1« being oonsidered for ap
pointment as president of the
State’s big A. and T. College for
Negroes at Greensboro.
“Fact: Charles A. llines of
Greensboro, chairman of the A.
and T. College board of trustees
said last night that he knows
nothing of the nunor.
“Its news to me,” Hines re
ported. “We haven’t had a meet
ing of the board since October.
TUs is the first time I’ve heard
a Dr. Trigg mentioned.”*
"Hines was contacted by tele
phone. He said tiiat so far as he
and other A. and T. College
trustees are concerned, the
school’s present president. Dr.
(Please turn to Page Xight)
Sampson County
Is Presented
$500 Poe Award
CLINTON
More than 600 Sampson
County citizens Jammed the
courtroom here last Thursday
iil^t (February 17) to receive
the Clarence Poe Award of
$S00. The award is given each
year by the prominent publish
er of a farm journal (The Pro
gressive Farmer) published in
Raleigh, to that county in which
the Negro population has con
tributed most to the overall pro
gress of the county.
Sampson County had won out
in competitidn with^^B other
counties in North CarotlR^and
was the third to win the honor
in the project begun in 1052.
Hertford and Orange Counties
have won previously.'
The check was presented by
W. C. LaRue, associate editor of
the publication, representing
Dr. Poe who could not attend.
Dr. W. E. Reed, chairman of
tlie State Rural Progress Com
mittee and dean of the School
of Agriculture at A and T Col
lege, the instlitttton which ad
ministered the project, accepted
it and handed it to O. A. Dupre,
Clinton School principal and
(Please turn to Page Xight)
Top photo shows a committee
of the delegation of over 300
prominent Negro citizens oj
North Carolina who called on
Governor Luther V. Hodge$
and the General Assembly
Tuesday to protest attempts
now being made to circumvent
the United States Supreme
Court’s ruling on segrega^n in
public schools bv the passage of
legislation decentralizing pub
lic schools 0/ the state. Reading
from left to right they are Alex
ander Bames, representative of
the Carolinian newspaper of
Raleigh; Representative Oscar
Barker, Durham County, who
with Senator Claude Currie and
Kupresentative E. K. Powe, also
of Durham Co. arranged the
conference with the governor.
At Mr. Barker’s left is Mrs. E.
R. Merrick, Durham. Standing
behind Mrs. Merrick, partly
hidden from view is Warren
Wheeler. At Mrs. Merrick’s left
is J. H. Wheeler, president of
the 'Mechanics and farmers
Bank and leader of the delega
tion; Dr. G. D. Carnes, Wil
mington, Grandmaster Masons
of North Carolina; Mrs. J. J.
Hannibal, Kinston, civic leader;
W. L. Greene, Raleigh, execu
tive secretary State Teachers
Association; J. S. Stewart, Dur
ham, secretary-treasurer. Mu
tual Savings and Loan Associ
ation; N. B. White, manager.
Service Printing Company; E.
R. Merrick, Durham, treasurer.
North Carolina Mutual Life In
surance Company and Claude
Currie, State Senator, Durham
County. Others in the delega
tion and not shown in the pic
ture are W. J. Kennedy, Jr.,
president. North Carolina Mu
tual Life Insurafice Company;
Dr. O. L. Sherrill, Raleigh,
secretary. State Baptist Con
vention; D. B. Martin, Durham;
Rev. George Fisher, Raleigh,
Episcopal Minister; A. M. Ri
vera, Durham, Pittsburgh Cou
rier Representative; Mrs. Wil-
lette Stafford, Durham, Caro
lina Times representative and
L. E. Austin, publisher, Caro
lina Times.
Basketball Player And Two
Others Fataly Injured In
Mad Automobile Ride
WINSTON-SALEM
A 100 miles per hour ride
ended in dea& for three
youths near Kemersville
Monday night when the car
in which they were riding
collided head-on with a truck
on Mghway 421. Patrolmen
called to the scene of the ac
cident called it “Guilford’s
worst in yeaSa'.”
The tliree yotu)g men, all
from Winston-Salem, were
Identified as Bobby F. Pen
nington, 24, member of the
Winston • Salens Teachers'
College Tarisity' basketball
team; J. C. Rice, 26, and
William A. Mitchell, 25.
Rice is believed to have
been driving at the time of
Ith* fatal crash.
BOBBY PENNINGTON
The truck driven by Odell
Myera, 35, also of Winston-
Salem, was damaged to the
extent of about $6,000. Myers
although badly shaken up
was not injured.
The badly tom bodies of
the thrM yotmg men, a-
long with die wreckage of
the car was strewn idong
the highway beside the
truck. The spedolneter was
stuck at IIL
Rice was a professional
baseball player and was one
of the fint members of his
race to play in the Carolina
League when he signed with
the Fayetteville Athletics.
Mitchell was also a student
at Teachers’ College.
Soutlieastem
NAACP Confab
Meets In Ga.
ATLANTA, Oa.
It is expected tiiat a record
number of delegates from
branches, youth councils and
college chapters wllj^be in at
tendance at the 3rd Annual
Southeastern Region NAACP
Conference when it opens here
on Friday, February 25.
The conference, designed for
leadership training, will focus
attention on techniques for use
of local groups in their efforts
to increase their membership;
methods for the development of
coipmunity education, programs
to create a climate of public
opinion for the acceptance and
implementation of the Supreme
Court .decision; and the legal
procedures for implementation
of the decision.
Attorney Robert L. Carter,
NAACP Assistant Special Coun
sel; Dr. John W. Davis, Direc
tor of Teacher Information and
Security, Legal Defense and
Educational Fimd, Inc.; Dr.
Frankie Adams, Atlanta Uni
versity School of Social Work,
(Please t\im to Page Eight)
David C. Dean, prominent
business and civic leader of
Richmond, Virginia, who was
recently chosen by the Rich-1^*
mond AFRO as a member of _
its honor roll. Dean who is
vice-president and assistant
agency director of the North
Carolina Mutual Life Insur
ance Company and a member
of its Board of Directors Is
also prominently connected
with many 'churcli, business
and civic groups of the dty
and state. He is a graduate of
West Virginia State College
and a member of Omega Psi
Phi fraternity.
Allen University
Students Don
Overalls In
Clean-Up Move
COLUMBIA, S. C.
Allen University’s Ph.D’s,
faculty and staff members and
students changed their academ
ic gowns, business suits and
sports jackets for overalls re-
cenUy to open the Negro imi-
versity’s Founders’ Day cele
bration with a practical demon
stration of their philosophy of
self-help.
Working in shifta of 20 each
they completely painted the
towering walls and lofty ceil
ings of the school’s library in
one day. Then they returned to
the library last l^turday and
laid a complete asphalt tile
floor in one day.
Founders’ Week opens Feb.
25 with the emphasis of the
celebration of the African Me
thodist Episcopal School's 85th
anniversary .on this conviction
that Negroes in the South
should get things done by do
ing things for themselves. Bis
hop Frank Madison Reid, chair
man of the school’s board of
trustees, explains. “This idea of
creative initiative is complete
ly opposed to the popular no
tion of sitting down jutd wait
(Ptoase turn to Page Bipit)
RALEIGH
Approximately 300 N^r«
leaders from aU sections of
the state marched on the 1965
session of the (]ieneral Assem
bly here Tuesday and regi»-
tered their opposition to any
bill that would curcumvezrt
the United States Sopreme
Court’s ruling of last May 17
on segregaticm in public
tdioois.
Headed by J. H. Wheder,
president of' the Meciiaiiici
and Farmers Bank q{ Durham
and spokesman for the del
egation, a commhLe oi a.x>ut 1
of the group first visited the of
fice of Governor Luther V.
Hodges where Wheeler told the
Chief Executive that it was the
hope :md belief of Negroes at
North Carolina that integration
could be attained with littie or
no trouble if those responsible
or carrying out the mandate of
the court v.'ould "tpko the lead
in developing a positioo and
forthright positoin leading to in
tegration of the schools." ^
Following ttie noon visit to
the Governor’s office at two
o’clock, the full group asMndilad
at the State Highway Building
on Wilmington Street wbt^re
Wheeler read a prepared state
ment to the joint Educat
Committee of the Seiate aul^
(Please turn to Page Eigh.
Dream Of Meniorial To Founder Of
Tuskegee Becomes A Nightmare
Here & There
WHERE THERE’S HOPE
Somewhere in this United
States, there is a more-than
middle age woman who is not
only planning to mwry, but
hopes to raise a family. Writ
ing to a physician alraut the
possibility of the realization
of her hope, the lady states;
“1 am a widow 72-years-
old and look much younger.
1 am going to marry a man
a few years younger. Would
it be possible tiut I could
have a child?”
The doctor wasn’t very
hopeful; in fact, not at all.
DIDN’T KNOW HIM
NEW YORK
Robert Sylvester relates that
Jack Barry planned to have
Jack Dempsey as a guest on his
"Juvenile Jury” TV Show. He
abandoned the idea after a cau
cus of youngsters on the panel.
None of the kids knew who Jade
Denjpsey was or is.
ILLOGICAL
DENVEB, COLO.
Police eliarged ttet ManA
Wehitw had drivvt
^town at fifty aritaa sm- hmtt
with Ua araa anoi a w»-
(Pls
I turn la I^g*
ROCKY MOUNT, VA—The
dream of making the birthplace
of the famed Negro educat' c*
and founder of Tusk^ee InsU-
tue, Booker T. Waaiiingtoo. a
permanent memorial turned in
to a nightmare this wedi. wbam
it was announced that Uie in
tended national shrine would SB
on tlie auction block Saturday.
The administrator, S. J. Pliil-
lips, still bitter over the bet
tliat Negroes Sailed to rally to
the cause and purchase enoii^
of the half-dollars to mafcin
memorial & realisation, stated
tiiat "Just because the Itanoariai
failed 4pes not mean that Wask-
ington has been forgotten.**
Phillips ciiarged
that because Negroes had not
backed the cause nfffa-4—
the plan to erect a memorid to
Washington liad failed. Moat c!
the support he claimed ear->
from white admirers o Wa'-h-
ington. the charges b|ou|^t a
storm of protests from Neg^o
leaders all ever the country.
He claimed that only IJM,-
000- of the five million
lars had be«a purchased anA •
majority of them by white pae^
sons. I
Washington was bean m Ikft
property of a plantar bf Hw
name of Janies B«ifmighi |»
1858. He rose from
highest pina^ ol te
edueator aa*-port|taB
jinence in ApMllpi
equaled by Map.
liMItt Hills,
H* siffl iiriMl