N/
U. Si Postage
Non-Profit Organizatum
PAID
Elizabeth City, N.C.
Permit No. 5
VOLUME 30
ELIZABETH CITY. N. C
MAV, 1969
NUMBER «
Three Eventful Day$-An Historic Event
PRESIDENT THORPE INAUGURATED
ELABORATE
ARTS FESTIVAL HELD
When the choir sang
Berger’s “The Eyes of
All Walt Upon Thee”,dur
ing the combined choir-
band concert Friday
night, April 25th, the
chain of events surround
ing the inauguration of Dr.
Marion D. Thorpe as the
Sixth President of Eliz
abeth City State College
were underway. The
choir-band concert in
Moore Hall Auditorium
was in honor of the in
auguration of Dr, Thorpe,
who assumed duties at
ECSC on July 1, 1968.
Miss Evelyn A. John
son and Mr. David W.
Williams, directors of
the choir and band as
sembled a total of 129
vocalists and instrument
alists for the concert.
Open to the public with
out admission, the musi
cal treat featured
spirituals, classical se
lections, marches, over
tures, and contemporary
selections.
One of the many high
lights of the joint concert
StuaentServes
As ECSC
President
How does it feel to be
college president for a
day? Well, James Diggs,
senior business education
major, got a good im
pression when he relieved
Dr. Marion D. Thorpe.
Taking his chair in the
conference room, Diggs
was surrounded by re
ports, pamphlets, letters,
and other materials while
he served as President of
Elizabeth City State Col
lege on College Day at
the institution.
When Diggs approach
ed Dr. Thorpe s office
he, like seniors who re
lieved administrative,fa-
culty, and staff personnel
of their duties, probably
thought things would be
relatively easy and make
believe. The honor grad
uate of Springfield High
School, Wilson, N.C.,
found out differently.
Other than making sure
that each senior carried
out his or her assign
ments in running the bus
iness and activities of
Elizabeth City State Col
lege, Diggs received an
additional assignment
that extended beyond the
day.
Diggs shook his head
when Dr. Thorpe handed
him a copy of ‘ Proposed
Legislation Relating To
Rights and Civil Dis
orders.” He began im
mediately to study the re
port of the Governor’s
(Continued on page 4)
was the participation of
guest soloist, Clinton E„
Patterson, a graduate of
East Carolina Univer
sity. Each selection was
a musical expression of
the sentiments and moods
of the college and com
munity in salute to Dr.
Thorpe. The concert was
preceded by a buffet sup
per in the College Cafe
teria.
On Saturday, April
26th, when all of the in
struments had been
moved and the notes faded
away, Moore Hall Audi
torium was the scene of
an important and infor
mative symposium. Dr.
Thorpe, before receiving
the symbols of office the
following day joined the
members of the college
and community ingather
ing valuable information.
Four top educators and
administrators joined
Herbert R, Watson, mod
erator, and Ernest Bell,
President of the Men’s
Government Association,
in discussing, “The
Changing Scene; The
American College Today
and Tomorrow.” Visiting
participants were Dr.
Cameron P. West. Di
rector, North Carolina
State Board of Higher Ed
ucation; Dr. Charles
Lyons, Jr., Director of
Admission, Howard Uni
versity; Dr. James E.
Cheek, President, Shaw
University; and Dr. M.H.
Bryant, Director, Higher
Education, Region 111, De
partment of Health, Edu
cation, and Welfare.
The inaugural banquet
and ball for the ECSC stu
dents, faculty, and staff,
alumni and invited guests
of the college rounded out
Saturday’s activities.
On Sunday, April 27th,
in the College Quad
rangle, Dr. Thorpe, at 36,
became one of the nation’s
youngest presidents of
a four-year college. With
music provided by the
ECSC choir, and repre
sentatives from educa
tional and professional
associations; the learn
ed societies; local, state
and national govern
ments; alumni chapters;
and community agencies,
schools, and businesses
in attendance, the elabo
rate ceremony was the
biggest and grandest at
the college.
Words of greetings and
the mellow voices of the
College Choir waved their
way into the ears of Dr.
Thorpe. But nothing en
tered his ears and pene
trated his mind as im
pressively as the inau
gural address by Dr. Al
fonso Elder, President
Emeritus of North Caro
lina College. It was he who
Instrumentally guided the
growth of NCC from 1948
to 1963. Eleven years ago
Dr. Elder, D. Ed. and
L.L.D., had the rare plea
sure of awarding both the
B. A. and M. A, degrees
in Psychology to Dr.
Thorpe, who graduated
from NCC Magna Cum
Laude, in 1958. His force
ful and eloquent address
filled with words of wis
dom, will long be remem-
(Continued on page 5)
Jamss Diggs and Pres. Thorpe shake hands as
Diggs becomes President for a day.
A vety elaborate and
cultural Fine Arts Fes
tival is scheduled at
Elizabeth City State Col
lege, beginning on Thurs
day, April 17 and running
through Thursday, April
24. According to Dr. Vin
cent deGregorio, Chair
man of the Art Depart
ment and Fine Arts Com
mittee at the college,
the annual event will open
with a keynote address,
“The Status of the Arts,”
by John D. La whom. Su
pervisor of Music, De
partment of Public In
struction of Georgia. Mu
sic for the opening pro
gram in Moore Hall Au
ditorium, at 7:00 p.m. will
be provided by the Col
lege Band. Opening of the
exhibition of the works
by Lorraine Bolton, As
sociate Professor of Art,
at Hampton Institute, will
follow in the ECSC Light
house College Center.The
ECSC Choral Ensemble
will sing during this ex
hibition at 8:30 p.m.
The festival of the fine
arts at Elizabeth City
State College will fea
ture artistic perform
ances and exhibitions
during the entire week.
Virginia State College’s
band and the Hampton In
stitute Players will ap
pear at the college in con
cert and presentation on
April 19 and April 24,
accordingly. They join the
ECSC Modern Dance
Memorials
Held For
Eisenhower
and King
Although pressured
with mid-semester ex
ams, and jubilant over
the expectations of the
spring holidays period,
the students at Elizabeth
City State College still
found time to memorial
ize Dwight David Eisen
hower and Martin Luther
King, Jr., whose deaths
approximated each other
by almost a year.
Twice members of the
college community filed
quietly into Moore Hall
Auditorium, with the first
memorian being held in
the morning. At that time,
with a background of re
corded music adding to
the solemnity of the hour,
tribute was paid former
President Eisenhower.
Meditations from the re
cording of Thurman’s,
“The Lord Is My Shep
herd,” preceded readings
from the sacred scrip
tures and other selections
by Dr. R. Irving Boone,
College Minister. Taps,
Group, that will appear
on April 18, in helping to
make the remainder of the
festival a worthwhile af
fair.
In addition to the con
certs, recitals, and dra
matic presentations, exhi
bitions of: the “Wonder
ful Worldof the Theatre,”
April 18; Student Art,Ap
ril 20; Photography, April
22; and “Fashion, the
Year Around,” April 22,
will be placed for view
ing. Filtered in between
all of the events will be
the showing of the popu
lar movie, “A Raisin In
The Sun,” 7:30 p.m.,
Moore Hall Auditorium,
Monday, April 21. The
public is cordially Invited
to attend each phase of
the festival of the fine
arts at Elizabeth City
State College.
echoingly blown by trum-
peteers Ervin Sim eon and
Elton Poole, dim axed the
homage to this “il
lustrious citizen of the
world.” A portrait of Ei
senhower, surrounded by
flowers and lighted can
dles, brought closer to
home the memory of this
hero and statesman,
especially to the genera
tion of students here who
were born after World
War II.
The most impressive
memorian at Elizabeth
City State College was
held that evening, as the
portrait of Dr. King dic
tated feelings of peni
tence and re-dedication.
Following the singing of
“Rock of Ages,” Mrs.
Paige Jenkins, Acting
President, Women’s Gov
ernment Association,
read from the sacred
scriptures, after which
Rev. David Pharr, Pas
tor, Mt. Lebanon A.M.E.
Zion Church, prayed.Ex
cerpts. from Brownings’
“Prospice,” were read
by Javon Brothers, Vice-
President, Student Gov
ernment Association.
Dr. Boone, in deliver
ing the eulogy, stated,
“We have assembled here
to do homage to this good
and great man. It is of
historic and deeply spiri
tual significance that this
service comes during
Holy Week....” He spoke
at length on the convic
tions of the late Dr. King,
and of his peaceful and re
lentless efforts to move
America progressively
forward in civil rights and
justice. Dr. Boone, com
paring Dr. King with
Jesus, spoke of him as a
man who “went about do
ing good.’