■jHtCl'W-''-
(OLUME 76 - NUMBER 20
7751^
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA — SATURDAY, MAY 23, 1998
TELEPHONE (919) 682-2913
PRICE:30 CENTS
Black College Sports Page
See Page 12
Buford Elected President
UNCG Student Government
See Page 13
Health Sunday Set For
May 24
See Page 9
Small Showing Turn Out
For Great Show At Local
NAACP ACT-SO Competition
By John T. McCann
Black people, especially, those young and male, can
more than sing, dance, .and bounce baskelbalis.
realized pesticides are something that are con-
in the environment and something we need to
ith." said Erica Quick. She’s a 16-year-old at
illsideHigh and adores science. She has to, in order
‘have been in involved in a three-year study looking
ihe detoxification of bug sprays.
'he hard work paid off for the young scientist,
ijick captured a first-place medal at the 1998 Dur-
NAACP ACT-SO Competition
iCT-SO (Afro-Academic Cultural Technological-
eniific Olympics) is rooted in the convi(;:tion that
ican Americans can compete with white people in
isrooms,' boardrooms and labs. Author and jour-
ist Vernon Jarrett started ACT-SO in 1978 as a
hide to prepare black children for success. The
was to demo.n.strate that opportunities for blacks
)und in laboratories as well as on football fields;
in presiding over a court as well as running up
iddownonc.
Idence student Quick is reserving a seat for medi-
school. She said ACT-SO has helped push her
ward that.
*’ hate to have to say this but it’s mainly
lucasians [pursuing careers in science.] You don’t
a lot of black females, or males, in the science
Quick said. "In ACT-SO, you see talent from
the United Stales of black people who are
wcasing their talents in the science arena. It’s
lething positive to see. so you don’t think you’re
only one out there."
WHO IS OUT THERE?
)uick is one of many black .students breaking the
lid of athletes and entertainers. Still, the stereotype
*'A.
iho ACT-SO competition last weekend, the
crowd as.scmbled in the Durham County Li-
was asked to identify Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe
'an!. Jada Pinkcli and Will Smith. Both the young
old knew who the athletes and entertainers were.
111! when asked to identify Isaac Horton, no hands
'iniup.
hy.’ Probably because Isaac Horton, an African
'crican. is neither a sports figure nor a famous ac-
Insicad, Horton is CEO of his own RTP-based.
npany, Remote Source Lighting, Inc.
iVesce the athletes and entertainers, and those arc
ic goals to have." says Andrei McCauley, co-
liiwoman of Durham ACT-SO. "But everybody is
going to achieve those goals, so we need to steer
If kids toward other avenues and lap into other
%ncls."
leet Joel Jr., McCauley's .son. He nabbed first
• in the oratorical category. The teenager has
foaking public speeches since he was 10 years
iir.sl being a recitation of Marlin Luther
v I Have A Dream" speech. I'hal is quite com-
in black churches. And true to form, someone
i young Joe! and thought he had potential. Now
Mes his own speeches and delivers them force-
even il there’s not much crowd support.
’j.irmer nurham High School foothall coach James M. "Bump" Elliott admires some memorahilia
School hrf ""“h him at Durham High
School before moving to NCCU. Price died of a heart attack. He was 42. (Photo bv E.awson)
MISS ERICA QUICK
If nobody had come, I still had to do what I had to
do." Joel said with the sense of purpose all great
orators possess. "It’s not about publicity. It’s about
doing something positive and staying involved in the
community."
Bui Travis Chapman, one of the competition’s
Judges, exprc.s.sed concern about the lack of parental
and student involvement.
"As a schoolteacher, I always go back to the home,"
said Chapman, a science teacher at Durham Magnet
Center. He asked, "What are the parents instilling in
the child? How are they pushing the child?
Then it goes to the student," Chapman continued.
"What kind of motivation do they have? If they don’t
have motivation, they’re not going lo participate in a
program like this."
PUSHING AND PRODDING
"All wc can do is pul the information out there,"
said Joel McCauley Sr., who serves with his wife as
co-chairman. "For the ones out there who are inter
ested, wc just have lo help them achieve their goals."
McCauley, a senior engineer, said every high
school in Durham was contacted. In fact, every black
student was given information about the ACT-SO
program lo share with their parents. Churches alsc
were asked lo spread the word.
Durhafn has well over 3,400 black high school slu-
dcnls — 10 showed up to compete. And there were
(Continued On Page 2)
>tate Uses Current Inmates
fo Help Build More Prisons
GROUNDBREAKING Union Baptist Church held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction
of a new facility at 904 N. Roxboro Street. With ceremonial shovels from left to right are: Ozzie Holder.
Rev. Kenneth Hammond, John Edwards and Michael Jones. (Photo by Lawson)
North Carolina Highway
Programs Cited As Models
For Rest of Nation
construction crew is
the sawdust and wiping
|-paint alter finishing work on
™ niajor project in three
' nspections of the new fe-
tfamp at IMFACT-East
‘^"mplcicd this month and
*"« ceremonies will be held
** boot camp housing unit
major project completed
construction crews,
last June with 38
Billy Barbour and a team
'auction engineers began
*bc I 1,700 square fool
Uhat will house 60 Icmale
®'P Irainces.
After an outside contractor
prepared the site, the inmate con
struction crew built the facility
from the ground up. They did all
the electrical, plumbing, fire safely,
painting and ventilation work. The
prison dormitory is a brick and
block .structure with concrete floor
ing and a wood roof.
"Wc’vc proven that wc can use
inmate labor lo build prisons," said
Wade Carlton of Correction
Engineering. "I think the work
manship on all the projects has
been good." Clhcr teams that in
cluded many of the same correction
engineers and prisoners huill slate
prison work farms in Caswell and
Tyrrell counties.
Work at the Tyrrell Prison Work
Farm was completed early this
year. The 60,000 .square foot struc
ture at Tyireli has ten open bar
racks areas each with bathroom and
dayroom space for 50 men. The
lirsi prisoners moved into the new
(aciiily in April. The prison now
holds 150 inmates and more will be
sent each week as the population
gradually rises to 500.
"Building this prison was a team
ellort that involved eight members
of (he engineering staff who spent
every workday for 18 months
making sure the prisoners got the
(Continued On Page 2)
RALEIGH — Slate and national
highway safety officials congratu
lated more than 500 law enforce
ment officers from across North
Carolina for their ongoing efforts to
incrca.se seal bell and child safely
scat Li.sc with the stale’s "Click It or
’rickcl" .seal belt program and to
halt drunken driving with the
"Boo/c It & Lo.se It" elTorl.
"'Hk' backbone of this initiative
has been the traffic officers — the
police officers, the deputies and the
troopers — out there on our roads.”
said Gov, Jim Hunt in videotaped
remarks played at the Law linforcc- ;
m 0 n i A p p r c c i a t i o n
Luncheon, which was held in the
Raleigh Convention and Confer
ence Center. "I want to thank them
personally for their remarkable ef-
lorl in getting people lo wear their
scat bells and to stop drinking and
driving. Their dedication has saved
Iiundreds of lives and prevented
thousands of injuries."
North Carolina Insurance Com
missioner Jim Long, a staunch sup
porter of the Governor’s Highway
.Safety Initiative since it was estab
lished in 1983. commended officers
lor enforcing the state's lough
highway safely laws and for educa
ting motorists about the same use
of seal bells and child .safety scats.
"I've met many of you at check
points and child .scat clinics across
(he stale. Eve .seen firsthand your
devoliiHi and dedication lo safety."
Long said to the law enforcement
officers. "You are showing the rest
of the nation how lo work together,
how to enforce traffic laws and
how to keep the public .safe.
"I'm especially proud that the
l^irc and Rescue Services Section
of our department is helping coor
dinate training for you in the latest
and best practices in child pas
senger safety." Long continued.
"Our state will continue to support
you in your buckic-up efforts and
as wc fight drunk driving in North
Carolina."
A top official with the National
Highway Traffic Safety Admini.s-
iralion (NHTSA) offered high
praise for law enforcement and the
North Carolina safely programs.
"North Carolina continues to show
the nation how slcppcd-up enforce
ment of occupant protection and
drjn': driving laws can .save lives
ana prevent injuries." said NHTSA
Deputy Administrator Phil Rechi.
"Wc should all salute North Caro
lina law enforeemeni for the work
(Coniinued On Pago 2)