02119 9DA0X
FORSYTH CNTY PUB LIB
NC ROOM
60 W 5TH ST # 3
Winston-Salem
'111 U111U1C
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1996
75 cents DedicatecM&the Memofy pf
Womble, Eversley Ignored During
FTCG Board of Trustees Meeting
B> MAURICE CROCKER
Chronicle Staff Writer
The Forsyth Technical
Community College Board of
Trustees ignored the Rev. Carl
ton Eversley and State Rep.
Larry Womble, D-Forsyth
County, at the board's meeting
last week.
* Womble and Eversley were
asked to attend the meeting
after questions had been raised
concerning the ratio of African
American administrators and
faculty members to students.
Womble said the questions
concerning the number of
African American administra
tors and faculty members were
asked after he received a report
informing him of the low num
bers.
The report indicates
African Americans represent 25
percent of the student popula
tion at the college, but only 10
percent of the faculty.
Of the 18 member house
keeping staff, 15 are African ^
American.
"If they can find blacks to
be janitors, maids, and custodi
ans, then why can't you find
any to be faculty members and
administrators?" Womble
asked.
Womble said the excuses
given in the past such as,
African Americans aren't quali
fied or interested, are no longer
acceptable.
"We were invited to attend
the meeting and then they put
us at the end, after the meeting
had officially adjourned, "
Womble said.
"That was an error," said
Gordon Hughes, Chairman of
th^ Board of Trustees. "Our
-fjfoc edure calls for us to go
through our meeting and pre
sentations are made at the end."
According to Hughes, nor
mally if there are visitors pre
sent, the board will acknowl
edge them at the beginning.
"Mr. Eversley and Mr. Womble
came in after the meeting had
begun," he added.
"We met several months
ago with Gordon Hughes to
discuss the lack of African
Americans on the stall and he
invited us to the meeting," said
Eversley, who is pastor at
Dellabrook Presbyterian
Church,
He thought that even it' he
and Womble could not address
the board during the meeting,
that they would be included in
a group discussion.
"But that's not how it hap
pened," he said.
According to Womble and
Eversley, they sat during the
meeting and were not ad
dressed until the meeting was
adjourned.
Although board members
knew why Eversley and Worn
ble were attending, at no time
were they asked to comment or
Rep. Larry Womble
express their views.
"Once the meeting
adjourned they said. "For those
of you who want to stay, we
have Rev. Carlton Eversley and
Rep. Larry Womble to speak."
Womble said.
Three of the 12 board
members dismissed themselves
before they spoke, Womble
said.
After expressing their
views and concerns to the
Kcv. Carlton Evcrslcy
board, Womble and Evcrsley
said some board members still
were not receptive.
"Some people wanted to
challenge Mr. Womble on the
way he voted in the State
House concerning community
colleges," Everstey said.
Womble said that was an
evasive tactict to try and divert
the attention to something else
see WOMBLE page 10
Lowe's Asks Magistrate
To Change Check Policy
B> JOHN HINT&N
Clirtmu le Senior Staff Writer
Lowe's Companies Inc.
of North Wilkesboro is
requesting the Forsyth
County Magistrate Office
to change its policy of
requiring local businesses
to provide race, gender,
age, and telephone num
bers of customers writing
checks.
Lowe's officials are
seeking the change in the
policy after Evon L.
Crooks of Winston-Salem
complained last week that
a cashier at Lowe's hard
ware store on North Lib
erty Street wrote "BM" on
the top right corner his
$19.47 check.
But Forsyth County
Magistrate Nancy Phelps
says that her office does
not require businesses to
identify check writers
solely by race or gender.
"That is not our pol
icy," she said. "All we
requested is that they be
able to identify worthless
check writers."
Merchants, who sus
pect someone using a
worthless check, can iden
tify them by height,
weight, color of eyes,
color of hair, tattoos, race
or gender, Phelps said.
"It was Lowe's policy
to place race and gender
on checks," she added.
"We never mandated that
they put anything on a
check."
However, W. Cliff
Oxford, Lowe's senior vice
president for corporate and
>human development,
insisted that the Forsyth
County Magistrate Office
forces Lowe's cashiers to
record race, gender, age,
and telephone numbers on
every check.
The magistrate office
stipulated that Lowe's and
other county businesses
could identify check writ
ers several ways- height,
weight, age, hair and eye
color, scars and tattoos;
race and gender; or by all
characteristics.
"It is practically
impossible for us to put a
scale at every cash register
to record the height and
weight of every customer,"
said David Oliver, Lowe's
manager of community
relations.
'As of last week,
Evon L. Crooks
Crooks was the only cus
tomer to complain about
the race and gender identi
fication on checks. Oliver
said.
"Lowe's is a strong
supporter and enforcer of
the principles of equality
and fair treatment," Oxford
stated in letter to the
Chronicle. "We are appre
ciative to Mr. Crooks for
bringing to our attention
see LOWE'S page 10
CIAA Tourney Set For
Feb. 25, Events Scheduled
B> MAl'RICE CROCKER
Cltronu lc Shift V\ ntei
programs and activities are being
finalized for the more than 20,(XX) peo
ple who plan to attend the CIAA tourna
ment next week in Winston-Salem.
Students, alumni and administrators
from 13 of the prestigious historical
black colleges and universities in the
conference come from all around to
attend the basketball tournament.
Over the years the tournament has
grown to be more of a social event
rather than a contest to test the skills
and abilities of the conference players.
As a result of the great interest to
meet and greet for those who attend var
ious activities have been scheduled.
On Feb. 25. activities begin with the
women's opening dinner. The dinner
will be held at the Benton Convention
Center. The guest speaker will be Myr
lie Evers-Williams, former president of
the NAACP
Women's preliminary round gets
under way on the 26th. Games will
begin at 11 a.m.
On Tuesday. Feb 27 the men will
have their opening dinner, which will be
held at the Benton Convention Center.
The guest speaker will be Kweisi
Mfume, president of the NAACP. The
Men's preliminary round will get under
way on the 28th -
Area high school students will have
a chance to meet with representatives
from the colleges during high school
day. The event w ill be held on Thursday
Feb. 29th and will begin at 8 a.m.
At 9 a.m. there will be a hall of
fame presentation for the CI A A offi
cials at the Benton Convention Center
March 1.
Also on the 29th the most talked
about and anticipated fashion show and
luncheon \?fil be at the Benton Conven
see CI A A page 10
CLASSIFIEDS 28
OPINION 12
ENTERTAINMENT 28
OBITUARIES 27
SPORTS 17
This Week in Black History
February 23, 1965
Constance Baker Motley
elected Manhattan
Borough president,
the highest
electi\ e office
held by a black
woman in a
major American
citv
Health Fair Draws 100 People
4-Kids get exams,dental check, advice
B> JOHN HINTON
Chronicle Senior Staff Writer
Nearly 100 children visited the Health Fair at
the Winston Lake YMCA last week, receiving
physical examinations, dental check-ups and
advice about nutrition and drug abuse. Kappa
Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. sponsored the event.
"We thought it would be a trickle, but they
came in waves," said Darrin Eaton, coordinator
of the Health Fair.
Parents brought their chitdren for the medical
screening. Many of them were attending a youth
league basketball game at the YMCA.
The children live in varie is city neighbor
hoods such as Kimberly Park and Happy Hills
Gardens, "Some of neighborhood kids may not
be checked out by a health care professional on a
regular basis," Eaton said. "If you start young
people on good health care, they
see HEALTH page 10
Dr. Perrin Block, a local dentist, examines the teeth of l.isa \forris, an
11-year old student at hernersville Elementary School.