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Elizabeth City, N.C.
Permit No. 3
Published by Elizabeth City State University for students and alumni
VOLUME 34 NUMBER 1
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C.
Octtbtr 1972
Thorpe Appeals To Board For Greater Support
“This is a significant
day in the history of Eli
zabeth City State Univer
sity, whose eighty - one
years of existence have
been marred only by the
inability of the institu
tion to serve all of those
who needed its limited
resources,” Chancellor
Marion D. Thorpe noted,
as he addressed the mem
bers of the University of
North Carolina Board of
Governors. Dr. Thorpe,
whose administration has
made phenomenal im
provements over the past
four years, took the oc
casion of the meeting of
the Board of Governors on
the ECSU campus, to
appeal for greater finan
cial support.
“With a tradition of
meeting the needs of those
whose needs were great
er, of inspiring those who
came without inspiration
and of encouragii^ those
who were lacking in cour
age, Elizabeth City State
University looks forward
to expanded areas of ser
vice for these and ail oth
ers who seek a valid high
er education in the mag
nificent Albe marie, ’
Chancellor Thorpe con
tinued, citing the need to
maintain and expand its
programs and services
for the “underprivileged
and the underachiever.”
Dr. Thorpe added that,
“For the student who
comes to us with the ad
vantages of a quality se
condary education and
adequate financial sup
port, the University must
p rovide challenging
course offerings, a varie
ty of opportunities to en
gage in public service
project, enriching ex
periences, and accelerat
ed programs of study
from which to choose.”
After stating the efforts
at ECSU toward providing
a more adequate selection
of majors, particularly in
the non - teaching areas.
Chancellor Thorpe as
serted, “There is no lo
gical reason for assum
ing that the students serv
ed by this institution will
be less effective in in-
GRADUATE SENIOR LEAVE GIFT
FOR ECSU FOUNDATION
They dined and danced
and did other enjoyable
things prior to graduat
ing from Elizabeth City
State University. As Pre
sident Marion D. Thorpe
conferred degrees upon
the 231 graduating sen
iors and as Willie B.
Spence inducted them into
the General Alumni
Association, they remem
bered the moments of gl
ory and recognition wh
ich their Alma Mater re
ceived, though faced with
shortages of funds, throu
gh four years of invol
vement.
Days after silence had
filled the quadrangle on
which the 81st. Commen
cement Exercises were
held, Nathaniel C. Mc
Nair, Jr., Director of De
velopment, got the full
meaning behind their ex
pression, “We love thee,
ECSU,” when Mrs. Doro
thy Thomas, Associate
Professor of Biology and
Senior Class Advisor,
presented a gift of $1,-
005 to the Elizabeth City
State University Founda
tion by a student group.
While thanking Mrs.
Thomas and Miss Clotel
Bishop, Senior Class
President and Sociology
major, Ashville, N. C.,
and wishing each grad
uate much success, Mc-
CLOTELL BISHOP
Nair remarked “The Uni
versity will long remem
ber the concern and gen
erosity of these gradua
tes.”
“We sincerely hope
that the example which
they have set will be a
carryover into their act
ive support of ECSU th
rough the General Alumni
Association which an
nually supports the Foun
dation's Annual Fund-
Raising Campaign,” Mc
Nair added.
dustry, business and gov
ernment than in educa
tion. Recent indications
are to the contrary,”
Thus increased funds
were requested for new
salary scales for faculty
and staff personnel, es
tablishment of graduate -
level programs, im
provement and expansion
of testing, guidance, tut
orial and counseling ser
vices, cooperative educa
tion programs, upgrading
of public - school teach
ing and for providing
more permanent and ade
quate consultancy servic
es, continuing education
and adult education, Inap-
(continued on page 3)
Elizabeth City
State University
Furded For
Campus
Beautication
Bids were opened re
cently for Landscaping
the campus and adding
land fill for low areas at
Elizabeth City State Uni
versity. $35,000 was ap
propriated by the 1971
Legislature for this pur
pose.
Bids for the project
came from Pratt’s Nur
sery, Kinston, N. C.;
Fairforest Landscape and
Nursery Company, Fair
forest, S. C.; and Gil
more Bulb Company, Jul
ian, N. C. Gilmore Plant
and Bulb Company was
the successful bidder.
University officials
hope that the accomplish
ment of this project will
alleviate some of the pro
blems which exist after
heavy rains when water
stands in several loca
tions on campus. Although
drainage would perhaps
be the proper means to
eliminate this problem,
drainage is already heav
ily loaded. Thus, it is
hoped that through putting
in additional fill and th
rough grading, this pro
blem can be lessened.
Project engineers are
Rivers and Associates of
Greenville, North Caro
lina. It is hoped that com
pletion will be accompl
ished within a period of
120 days.
The Landscaping and
land fill will greatly aid
the constant labors of the
ECSU Maintenance De
partment in keeping the
campus beautiful for
students, staff and com
munity.
CHANCELLOR THORPE
Revitalization of Cluster Program
Reacting to a commun
ication from Industry’s
Co-Chairman, Carl A,
Thompson, Jr., Elizabeth
City State University of
ficials met with the Wes
tern Electric represen
tative to discuss ways and
means of revitalizing the
two-year-old ECSU Col
lege - Industry Cluster
Program. Thompson ac
cepted and welcomed
Chancellor Marion D.
Thorpe’s appointment of
James R. Spence as
ECSU’s Co-Chairman in
the program. The appoin
tment will now enable Na
thaniel C. McNair, Jr.,
Director of Development,
to pursue other develop
ment objectives.
The ECSU Cluster Pro
gram is more than appre
ciative for the leadership
of Chancellor Marion D.
Thorpe, J. H. Townes,
McNair, and Thompson,
which has enabled the
University to attract
fourteen business and in
dustrial leaders to the
program. More intensive
efforts will now be made
toward improving con
tacts with the National
Alliance of Businessmen,
increasing the frequency
of committee meetings,
establishing more per
sonal contacts with other
business and industrial
firms and further docu
menting the needs of the
University.
Townes, the first Co-
Chairman representing
ECSU, who will be on
leave of absence this year
for further study, recei
ved a going - away gift
from Western Electric.
In thanking Thompson for
the gift, he expressed
gratitude for the overall
support which Western E-
lectric has given to the
young ECSU Cluster Pro
gram.
And what support it has
been! Since last summer
the Guilford Center of
Western Electric has
shipped over 361 pieces
of furniture for wide dis
tribution to requesting a-
reas at ECSU, provided
funds for the purchase of
two autoclaves for use in
the Biology Department,
delivered a 10-ton Wea-
thermaker air condi
tioning unit, with tower
and made other mater
ials and services avail
able to ECSU.
This leadership by
Thompson, who also ser
ves as Chairman of thi=
Equipment Committee,
has motivated other firms
to actively support the
ECSU Cluster Program.
Over the past year Wach
ovia Bank and Trust Com
pany has shipped 23 items
of furniture, 2 transcrib
ers, 2 dictators, and o-
ther items to ECSU, while
First Union National Bank
has contributed a book
keeping machine. In the
first year of operation,
the local IX-L Furni-
(continued on page 3)