BARRY HARTIS
Financial
‘‘Helmsman’’
Departs
The resignation of Barry
Hartis, Vice-President for
Business and Finance, on
April 2 brought about a
wave of shock on the
Gardner-Webb campus.
An employee of GW for 10
years Hartis says his deci
sion to move on, “was fair
ly sudden but I have been
offered a jewel of an oppor
tunity.”
The jewel of which Har
tis speaks is the position as
Dean of Administrative
Services at the College of
the Albemarle in Elizabeth
City. Hartis states, “I
always wanted to live near
the beach and that was cer
tainly an influencing fac
tor.” Employed as a tax ac
countant with Ernst and
Whinney of Charlotte prior
to coming to GW in ’76,
Hartis attributes his move
primarily to professional
growing pains. “There
comes a time when a
career person wonders
what is available to him
and that is what I am do
ing, finding out what else I
can do.”
The College of the
Albemarle is a community
college with approximately
1,800 students. It has a
main campus which is
located in Elizabeth City
and two satellite centers,
one which is located on
Ronaoke Island. Because it
is a pubUc, state-supported
institution, Hartis is
preparing himself for a
“brief transitional phase”
upon his arrival there.
Hartis relates that he will
miss Gardner-Webb, the
students and the faculty
but will come back to visit
and to note the progress of
this institution.
THE
PILOT
Gardner A\febb College
BOILING SPRINGS, NORTH CAROLINA
Community Joins With Washburn
Family In Search And Anguish
search into S.C. while still number of people sear-
others tramped through ching on Sunday peeked
the woods rechecking around 500. Churches
spots they might have unable to participate in the
overlooked the day before, search effort contributed
Attics and basements their prayers,
across the GW campus At the time this article
were searched as were goes to press. Sherry
remote buildings. An- Washburn still lies un-
nouncements were made in conscious in critical condi-
local churches and in the tion in Charlotte Memorial
dormitories asking people Hospital guarded by local
to come out and help police. She also lies in the
search and they did. The thoughts of every person in
Professor Exonerated In Trial
By Roberta Borden
One of the largest
gathering places in Boiling
Springs served as the head
quarters for perhaps the
most extensive search in
the town’s history. Boiling
Springs Baptist Church
was a hub of activity the
weekend of April 4-6, the
weekend Sherry Lynn
Washburn disappeared
from the vicinity of the
Gardner-Webb College
stadium. As quoted from
the Shelby Star, Rodney
Nolan, manager of the
Snack Shop stated, “I’ve
been living here 30 years
and I’ve not seen anything
like it. I hope it’s the last
time. It really opens your
eyes a little bit. Boiling
Springs is a community
that pulls together. I’m
proud to be a part of a com
munity like that. It’s just
about like a small family.”
People from throughout
the community joined
Saturday, April 5 to begin
searching for the missing
teen. An estimated 350 in
dividuals were involved in
the search which included
townspeople, college
students and faculty, as
well as the Red Cross and
Civil Air Patrol. Old and
young hunted the woods
and fields, buildings and
roads surrounding the
Gardner-Webb College and
Boiling Springs areas.
Each individual united with
his neighbor into a large
unit which expressed a
singleness of purpose:
Sherry had to be found!
Although temperatures
swung up into the 80’s few
gave up their mission.
They endured the sting of
insects, bhsters, scratches
and cuts compliments of
the briar patches through
which they searched, and
the energy-sapping glare of
the sun because they
cared.
Sunday the search again
resumed from Boiling Spr
ings Baptist. People were a
bit more determined to find
the girl as they found it dif
ficult to imagine her miss
ing for yet another night.
Canoers searched the
banks of the Broad River
and others extended their
By Roberta L. Borden
RUTHERFORDTON -
On April 10 the trial of
Rupel Williams vs.
Gardner-Webb College and
Dr. Joyce Brown was held
in Federal Court at Ruther
ford County Courthouse.
Williams, a former student
at GW, filed suit against
Dr. Brown and GW, alleg
ing she had been
discriminated against
because of her race.
Williams, a student in
Brown’s English 102 class
during the Spring 1984
semester, alleged that
Brown had treated her in a
discriminatory manner and
had made verbal slurs
against Williams and her
race.
Prior to attending GW,
Williams, a native of
Jamaica, attended Central
Piedmont Community Col
lege in Charlotte where she
earned her degree in Prac
tical Nursing. Williams
transferred to GW to earn
a degree in Registered
Nursing.
During Williams’
testimony she stated that
Brown had given her white
students preferential treat
ment, that she had made
verbal slurs against her in
regard to her race, and that
Dr. John Drayer had tried
to convince Williams that
the entire matter was
merely a misunderstan
ding.
Wilhams’ lawyer, Mike
Sheely of Charlotte, in
troduced several papers
the plaintiff had written
while attending Cleveland
Tech. and CPCC, a paper
written while she was a
member of Brown’s class.
and the “drop sheet”
which finalized Williams’
withdrawal from Brown’s
class. Sheely argued that if
Williams could write ac
ceptable, passing papers at
other schools she ought to
have been able to complete
English 102 at GW had
racism not been involved.
The drop sheet was used as
another point of argument
as Brown had signed the
sheet which stated that
Williams’ reason for
withdrawal was that Dr.
Brown had called her a
racially derogatory name.
When her statements ap
peared to be at variance
with her signed deposition,
she said, “I never said
that,” “They must have
misunderstood,” or “Who
said that?” The plaintiff’s
lawyer called no witnesses.
The defense lawyer,
Fred Flowers of Shelby,
was quick to clarify that
Brown had not noticed the
reason Williams had given
for her withdrawal on the
“drop sheet.” Brown said
“was in a hurry to get it
signed and get the whole
ordeal over with ...” Dur
ing the cross-examination
Sheely asked Brown if she
had called Williams a name
and Brown replied, “I have
never called anyone that,
ever. I don’t use that kind
of language.”
The defense called five
witnesses, the first of
whom was Dr. John
Drayer, Vice-President for
Academic Affairs. During
Williams’ testimony she
had stated that Drayer had
told her at one time to
“suppose that she were
here in the ’60s’ when
this community, in their
prayers, and in their lives.
The one immeasurable
good that came from this
terrible tragedy is the unity
that this community ex
pressed as well as their
love and dedication which
was expressed throughout
the weekend of Sherry’s
disappearance. We are all
truly blessed to be included
in such a family.
(racial slur) were kicked
and whipped.” Drayer
denied this in his testimony
and stated, “WiUiams has
suffered a terrible
raisconception.” After his
testimony Rita Turner and
Cindy Conner were called
to the witness stand. Both
of these witnesses were in
the English 102 class with
Williams and testified that
Brown had treated
Williams the same as any
other student and that
white students were not
given preferential treat
ment. The final witness for
the defense was Isaac
Mwase of Zimbabwe,
Africa, a former student of
Brown’s. Mwase stated, “I
once went lo Dr. Brown to
question a grade I received
on a paper and she explain
ed why I got a “B’ instead
of an “A” and she certainly
never discriminated
against me.” In fact, he
said that he had seen Dr.
Brown disturbed by an in
cident involving the Blood-
mobile screening process,
conducted by the Red
Cross, which questioned
his national status.
After 8 hours in court,
the jury of three men and
three women handed down
a verdict of “Not guilty”
after only 15 minutes of
deliberation. The verdict
acquitted Brown and GW
of any charges. Neither
Williams or her lawyer had
any comment. Dr. Joyce
Brown said, “I am very
grateful to the students
who came here and told the
truth and to the faculty and
especially to Dr. Williams
for support throughout the
months of this ordeal.”