TH£ MECKLENBURG
NOKi*'
CHRONICU
VOL. V—NO. 1
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA
DECEMBER, 1962
Coltrane Dedication
Keynoter
Mr. D. S. Coltrane, Adminis
trative Assistant to the Gov
ernor, was the keynote speaker
at the Dedication Service of
Mecklenburg College. Mr. Col
trane, substituting for the ail
ing Honorable Terry Sanford,
Governor of North Carolina, de
livered a speech prepared by
Mr. Sanford. He challenged the
recipients of the offerings at
the new physical plant of
Mecklenburg College to accept
fully the demands of modern-
day quality education.
The dedication represented a
milestone in the college’s his
tory after a twelve year strug
gle as a night school operating
in the Second Ward High School
building of Charlotte.
The new plant enables the col
lege to offer both day and eve
ning classes, the opportunity to
expand the course offerings, and
the development of an independ
ent school philosophy and per
sonality.
The Presiding Officer for the
entire program was Mr. J. Mur
rey Atkins, Chairman of the
Board of Trustees of the Char
lotte Community College Sys
tem. “Greetings” were extended
by Dr. William C. Archie, Di
rector, North Carolina State
Board of Higher Education; Mr.
Stanford R. Brookshire, Mayor
of the City of Charlotte; Dr. El
mer H. Garinger, (then) Super
intendent of the Charlotte-Meck-
lenburg Public Schools; and Mr.
Isaac Rhyne, President, Meck
lenburg College Alumni Assoc
iation.
Among the platform guests
were Mr. John Paul Lucas, Vice
Chairman of the Board of Trus
tees of the Charlotte Community
College System; the Reverend
W. A. Wilkins, Rector, Church
of St. Michael and All Angels;
and the Reverend Archie C. Bell,
Pastor, Little Rock A.M.E. Zion
Church, both of Charlotte. Music
was under the direction of Mr.
William Lindsay, the College
Choir Director.
Christine McNair.
Yvonne McKay
Elected Miss M. C.
Yvonne McKay, I960 graduate
of Long High School, Cheraw,
South Carolina, was elected
Miss MC for 1962-63. She is the
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert
McKay of 2409-B Double Oaks
Road, Charlotte, North Carolina,
and has been joined at MC by
her sister, Cleo.
The College Queen, Miss Mc
Kay, represented the college in
the J. C. Smith University home
coming parade.
The Queen and her attendants
were strikingly attired in the
school colors. Miss McKay is
majoring in secretarial science
and plans to become an execu
tive secretary.
A DREAM REALIZED - THE NEW MECKLENBURG COLLEGE
Y i ^ 4 fm
m
After thirteen years in the Second Ward High School building,
students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, and friends are immeas
urably proud and happy to occupy these new premises, which in.
elude an academic building and combination administration-library
building.
Those of us who study and plan here are projecting into the
future and can clearly . A GREATER MECKLENBURG COL
LEGE.
Orient'af'ion Week
By Christine McNair
Greetings to the Student Body:
It is with heartfelt sincerity
that I take this opportunity to
welcome you to the open doors
of Mecklenburg College. May
you find here enthusiasm, en
lightenment and fortitude, as we
seek to prepare the citizens of
Charlotte, Mecklenburg and
neighboring communities to em
bark upon the challenges of our
rapidly changing world.
Mecklenburg College has made
great strides in the past and its
progress continues to increase
in serving those who strive to
become prepared to meet the
tasks confronting them. This,
your institution, endeavors to
prepare and serve you; and we
solicit your willingness to ac
cept, absorb, and support the
institution for the growth of all.
With kindest wishes and a
strong desire to uphold the ob
jectives of a growing institution
of higher learning.
We, the students, at Mecklen
burg College are very happy to
have you become a part of us,
and to share with us our glori
ous experiences. The orientation
committee has been organized
to serve you in any way possible
during your freshman year. We
are sure that getting acquainted
(See ORIENTATION, Page 4)
Six Instructors
Added to Meck
lenburg Faculty
By Priscilla Pettice
With the beginning of the fall
semester, six new instructors
joined the Mecklenburg College
faculty. They are Mrs. Mary C.
Flowe, Mrs. Ruth Gaddy, Dr.
William L. Jamison, Mr. Hoyle
H. Martin, Miss Mertye Rice and
Mr. Santiago Vilas.
Mrs. Mary C. Flowe, English
and speech instructor, is a na
tive of Charlotte, North Caroli
na. She received her A.B. from
Johnson C. Smith University and
the M.A. from New York Uni
versity. She has also attended
Howard and Columbia Universi
ties. Before coming to Mecklen
burg, she was Assistant Librar
ian at Johnson C. Smith Univer
sity. Her hobbies are reading,
solving puzzles, and sewing.
During an interview with this
writer Mrs. Flowe indicated
that she has been impressed by
the “closeness” that exists be
tween the director, faculty,
staff, and students in striving
for a common purpose—a great
er Mecklenburg College.
Miss Ruth Gaddy, Instructor
of Psychology is also a native
Charlottean. She received her
A.B. from Johnson C. Smith
(See INSTRUCTORS, Page 4)
Mecklenburg
Alumni Reorganize
The Mecklenburg College
Alumni Association held its
initial reorganizational meeting
on the MC campus.
J. F. Samuel and Aaron Reid
were elected president and vice-
president respectively. Officers
elected at the meeting were:
Mrs. Mary Maxwell, re-elected
as Recording Secretary; Mrs.
Lillie Wall, Corresponding Sec
retary; and James Anderson,
Treasurer.
Mr. Samuel led a discussion
on the association’s proposed
aims and objectives; among
these are: scholarships for pros
pective students, college-alumni
job placement services, assist
ance to the college in the re
cruitment of students, and the
promoting of an annual Alumni
Awards Day.
Hoyle H. Martin, Public rela
tions officer of the college, gave
“greetings” on behalf of the
faculty and administration and
pledged the college to work co
operatively with the alumni as
sociation and its endeavors.
To further the re-organization
efforts of the association, a
meeting was held on Sunday,
November 26, at 4:30 p.m., on
the Mecklenburg College cam
pus. At this meeting the follow
ing was undertaken: plans for
the association’s activities for
1963, and the election of a con
stitution, program, and publicity
committee.
Opening
Convocation
By Dorothy Kerns
Mecklenburg College held its
14th Annual Convocation on Sep
tember 21, 1962, in the new
school library, with about 200
students and faculty members
attending. The Reverend Walter
Rorie represented the college
alumni association. Reverend
Rorie told the students, “You
have a great opportunity here.
Do your best. It can be done, so
why not do it?”
Mr. J. F. Alexander, Director
of the College introduced the
main speaker of the evening,
Mr. Oliver R. Rowe, Trustee of
the Charlotte Community Col
lege System.
Mr. Rowe told the students,
“This is a great day for Meck
lenburg College. After having
classes for 13 years in the Sec
ond Ward High School building,
we have now started the 14th
year on our own new campus.”
He further stated that the
number of college students is
increasing rapidly. The existing
colleges cannot possibly take
care of the tidal wave of stu
dents expected in the next five
years. We cannot build colleges
fast enough to take care of them.
He also said, “Last year 4,000
qualified applicants were denied;
this year the number is greater.
Every freshman who gained en
trance into college this year is
just plain lucky.”
He stated that Mecklenburg
College is destined to develop
into one of the largest and best
community colleges in the state;
there are people who really need
and want the special educational
services offered by a communi
ty college.
Mr. Rowe told the students
to take their work seriously and
to take advantage of this oppor
tunity to improve themselves in
order to become successful peo
ple.
Morrison Speaks
To Sfudent Body
Mrs. Roberta Harris Morrison,
president of the Mecklenburg
College Student Council deliver
ed the keynote address at the
Annual Student Council As
sembly.
Mrs. Morrison is the daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Richard James
Harris, Sr., of Statesville, North
Carolina, and the wife of Don
ald Richard Morrison of Char
lotte, North Carolina, who is
also a student at Mecklenburg
College. She is a graduate of
Morningside High School in
Statesville, North Carolina, and
is now a sophomore at Mecklen
burg College. She plans to trans
fer to Barber-Scotia College in
Concord, North Carolina, after
graduating from Mecklenburg,
(See MORRISON, Page 4)