North Carolina Newspapers

The Franklin Times L3* I cSj { Published Every Tuesday & Thursday \ ? \ c. ah m c ? i.i._ r Serving All Of Franklin County Tel. GY6-3283 Ten Cents Louisburg. X. C.. Tuesday. August 27. 1968 (Six Pages Today) 99th Year-Number 55 Hold Meeting On School Situation A crowd, estimated in excess of 2,000 persons met here Monday night and a majority voted to boycott Franklin County schools this fall. The meeting was held in Ford's Warehouse on Industry Drive. According to reports a show of hands was requested in a vote on a resolution to keep children out of school unless some plan is used other than that ordered by the District Court August 5. One observer said that ninety percent of those present raised their hands in an affirmative vote. Asher Johnson, WYRN radio news director, acting as moderator at the meeting, said late Monday night, that the boycott would not take place if some relief is forthcoming from the School Board's petition for a stay. The Board's request was heard in Rich mond Monday before a three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Millard Wester, an electrician, is reported to be chairman of the spon soring group, which is being called Franklin County Citizens for the Pre servation of Public Schools. Wester spoke briefly to the gathering, which included around fifty Negroes, accord ing to reports. Other speakers included Sixteenth District State Representative James D. Speed, Freddie Johnson, who made the motion to boycott and Harris Spencer, who told the group, "It's time we backed our own schools by a show of unity in the county", accord ing to news reports. Several persons in the audience addressed the group upon invitation from the chairman. One unidentified man suggested that a boycott might not be the best way to protest and suggested that parents send children back to the school attended last year. This sugges tion, according to reports, was met with a rash of boos. A News and Observer reporter, re portedly was threatened by a small group, but stayed on to report the meeting. Other than this incident, the meeting was described as orderly. Judge Butler Denies Beard's Stay Appeal Federal District Judge Algernon Butler denied Franklin County's re quest for a stay of his August 5 order to completely desegregate the school system this fall, last Friday. The Board of Education had filed the request with the District Court as a means of getting to a hearing on the petition before the Fourth Circuit of Appeals in Richmond, Va. In turning down the Board's re quest that the order not be implement ed until a final decision was made on an appeal, Judge Butler issued a lenghty order, in which he said, that the present difficulties claimed by the Franklin Board was due to the resis tance to integration of Franklin Coun ty In the denial, Judge Butler said that no administrative difficulties exist in going to a geographic zone and a unitary school system. The order signed was similar to a proposed finding of facts, conclusion of law and order filed by the U. S. Department of Justice in the case. School Board attorneys also filled a proposed finding of fact, conclusion of law and order. Judge Butler's denial states, "The alleged administrative difficulties on Man Held In Knife Death A 22-year-old Castalia man was charged with murder here late Sunday and placed in the Louisburg jail with out privilege of bond after he cut a vein of Dessie Lee, 56, of Castalia. Franklin Deputy Lloyd Gupton said Jack Evans cut about a three-inch gash in the arm of Lee. He said that Lee bled to death before reaching the ^ hospital. Gupton said the two men were living in the same house on Rt. I, Castalia. No reason for the knifing was revealed. which the defendants now rely in order to postpone desegregation in Franklin County are entirely the result of defendants' failure to prepare for conversion to a dual (probably meant unitary) system in accordance with the various orders of this Court ..." The order also quotes a statement by District Judge John Larkins in the Bertie County case, in which he ruled: "It is axiomatic that the constitutional rights of Negro children may not be restricted because of opposition to their implementation. Accordingly, conversion to a unitary system may neither be avoided nor postponed on the basis of community attitudes, ac tual or supposed." The Board of Education has not, according to reports, contended any community opposition to desegrega tion, but has attempted to point out that conversion on short notice will be disruptive to the education of all students in the system. The Butler order also discloses that the hearing on the petition was due to the suggestion to the defendants by Chief Judge Clement F. Haynsworth of the Fourth Circuit Court of Ap peals. The order states, "Chief Judge Haynsworth suggested that it would be preferable procedure for defendants to apply to the District Court for a stay of proceedings, and that application to the Court of Appeals should be deferr ed until this Court could hear the matter and make appropriate findings of fact." ^ . Charged In Shooting Richard M. Parker, 28, of Franklin ton, was charged Monday with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. Parker was charged with shooting Buddy Jones, 18, four times in the chest and arm. The shooting occurred late Sunday night at Parker's Inn near Franklinton in a Negro night spot. Through These Doors - - ? College Begins 182nd Year Louisburg College began its 1968-1969 academic year on August 25 with better than 800 students enrolled. President Cecil W. Robbins announced that fifty members of the faculty maintain a 1-16 faculty-stu dent ratio at the 182 year old United Methodist junior college. Operating on an early semester plan with a five-day week, Louisburg is keeping abreast of change in the ever-changing academic world by continually updating its course offerings and course content. In the field of biology the basic course has been revamped as an inte grated discipline containing concurrent instruction in botany and zoology rather than treating the two in se parate semesters. New course offerings in biology include Invertebrate Zoo logy and Plant Ecology, with appro priate field trips in each in the region and along the Alantic seaboard. The Department of Mathematics offers for the first time a course in Contemporary Mathematics. The course relates in a practical way to the demands of everyday living. For those students not majoring in mathematics or science the course replaces the staid College Algebra and Trigonometry. In English an accelerated honors scction enables the more advanced student to complete the one year course in English Composition in one semester. For students who are having difficulty in English a Tutorial Pro gram in English has been initiated. The Cecil W. Robbins Library now contains the Audio-Visual Center. Dean John B. York has stated that "soon the Louisburg College Audio Visual Center will be one of the most efficient and well-equipped for a junior college in this entire region." Matching grants have enabled the col lege to concentrate on the procure ment of numerous teaching aids in the audio-visual fiild. Louisburg has been awarded a grant by the S & H Foundation for a symposium on human relations. One of two junior colleges in the nation to be selected, Louisburg will present Dr. Ashley Montagu, noted anthropologist and Professor of Anatomy at New York University, September 24-25; and, Dr. George Kelsey, Professor of Christian Ethics at Drew University, October 28-29. The Louisburg College Fine Arts and Cultural Programs will bring such pop artists as Paul Anka and The Platters to the campus this year. Also appearing are the famed Westminster Choir and the North Carolina Sym phony Orchestra. Changes in student personnel have been announced by Dean of Students Thomas A. Patterson. Mr. Ernest B. Bolick and Miss Ellen Jane Bryan have come to Louisburg as Dean of Men and Dean of Women, respectively. A new 104-bed dormitory for wo men and a 24-bed infirmary have just been occupied on the Louisburg cam pus. The old infirmary area has been completely remodeled for faculty of fices. Development plans call for a new science building in the near future. Fourth Circuit Denies Stay ^ Move Hearing To October Attorneys for the Franklin County Board of Education presented a strong case in their arguments for a stay of a District Court Order before a three judge panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va. Monday. Attorneys E. F. Yarborough and Charles Davis told the_Court of the difficulties in reorganising the County schools in such a short period of time as called for in the District Order. Yarborough explained to the Court that Franklin had not had since August of last year, as claimed by the plaintiffs in the case, but had been given only three weeks in which to go to a unitary system. Davis reiterated the point as he emphasized the disruptiveness of such a move. Franklin was joined in its pleadings by attorneys for the Beaufort County (N.C.) and Edenton-Chowan (N.C.) School Boards. The Court combined the three requests for a stay into one hearing. Most of the arguments given by attorneys were applicable to all three school systems. One attorney for Beaufort County disclosed that Judge John Larkins has said that he and Judge Algernon But ler. who ruled in the Franklin case, had gotten together in their decisions. The three-judge panel consisted of Chief Judge Clement F. Haynsworth of Greenville, S. C., Judge John D. Butzner of Virginia and Judge Harri son L. Winter of Maryland. The hearing lasted around one hour and was the last order of business for the Court. No decision was handed down, but one is expected soon, pos sibly today. The Court asked questions of the attorneys and appeared very attentative to the arguments. Franklin County has filed a petition asking that the District Court Order not have to be carried out while awaiting a hearing on an appeal to have the entire order overturned. The appeal has already been filed with the Court of Appeals. Judge Butler, on August 5, ordered Franklin to establish attendance zones and to reorganize schools in order to convert to a unitary school system by the opening of schools this fall. In denying a request for a stay last week, Judge Butler ruled that no administrative difficulties existed to prevent compliance with his order this fall. Meantime, the Board has postponed the opening of schools. Students are now required to report at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, September 6 with the first full day slated for Monday, September 9. Schools will operate on short sche dule for an undetermined length of time. Attending the hearing in Richmond Monday were Franklin School Board Attorneys for the Board of Education were informed shortly after 1 P.M. today that the request for a stay has been denied by the U.S. Fourttj Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond. The Court, did however, advance a hearing of the Board's appeal of the District Court order to the October term. The order was signed by Judge John D. Butzner, Jr. with Chief Judge Clement F. Haynsworth and Judge Harrison Winter concurring. members Jones H. Winston, William T. Boone and Clint Fuller, Superinten dent of Schools Warren Smith, GSEA Director Earl Martin and Dr. Neal Tracy, Professor of Education, Field of Administration, University of North Carolina, who had been employed by the Board of Education as an expert in the field of education. An affidavit by Dr. Tracy, stating that compliance of the District Order would result in disruption and chaos educationally, was filed with the Appeals Court. Also in attendance, viewing the Edenton Chowan proceedings was Negro ac tivist Golden Frinks. Lawrence Cooper Passes Robert Lawrence Cooper, age 63, of Clayton died Saturday at Rex Hos pital in Raleigh after several months of declining health. Mr. Cooper was born in Franklin County in 1904 the son of the late Willie Jackson Cooper and Laura Bowden Cooper. Funeral services were conducted Monday at 4:00 P.M. at the First Baptist Church of Clayton of which he was a member. Deacon, and Truster. The Rev. John W. Steen officiated. Burial followed in Maplewood Ceme tery in Clayton. Mr. Cooper attended Wake Forest University where he was a Phi Kappa Beta and a member of the Sigma Delta Kappa. He was associated with the Budget Department of Cities Service Company in Buffalo, New York in 1927-28, coming to Clayton in 1929 as manager of the cotton department of Central Oil & Milling Company. He later formed a partnership with W. R. Peele in the Cooper-Peele Corporation and established his own firm. R. L. Cooper & Company, Inc., a cotton brokerage insurance, and real estate corporation, in 1943. He was a past president of the Atlantic Cotton Association, a former director of the American Cotton Ship pers. a member of the Atlantic Cotton Association and the New York Cotton Exchange. Mr. Cooper was the first president of the Tobacco State League in 1937. Mr. Cooper was a director of State Life and Health Insurance Company. A 32nd degree Mason, he was Past Worshipful Master of Grenite Lodge No. 191 and a former president of the Johnston County Shrine Club. He was a member of the Clayton Rotary Club, which he had served as president; a member of the Executive Club of Raleigh, and the Sons of the American Revolution. Mr. Cooper was the first president See COOPER Page 6 COOPER School Opening Moved To September 6th Franklin County teachers will meet here Wednesday as originally schedul ed, but the opening of schools was postponed by the Board of Education in a special meeting held here last Friday night. Teachers will report for work on September 5 for the usual principal teacher orientation with the parent teacher orientation being slated for that afternoon from 2:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. Students will report at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, September 6 for regis tration. The first full day will come on Monday, September 9. The Board ordered that schools will operate from 8 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. for the undetermined length of time and no meals will be served in the lunchrooms during the short schedule. The four-day delay will be made up by moving the closing of school up to June 6, 1969 unless the days can be made up earlier during the regular school year. Further announcement on the closing date is expected to be made later. Franklin Gets $137, 321 In Bonus Food Stamps Franklin county families paid out $145,699 of their own money in the year ended June 30 and received $137,699 in bonus food stamp cou pons. The federal program to aid needy families has put $283,020 into the local economy in the past fiscal year. Needy families in 25 North Caro lina counties got $3,026,381 worth of food help under the U. S. Department of Agriculture's food stamp program during fiscal year 1968, USDA's Con sumer and Marketing Service reports. The figure, which represents free food stamp coupons issued to the participating families, was up $637,348 over fiscal 1967 when the program was being operated in 22 North Carolina counties. Needy families in the counties that took part in the food stamp program in fiscal 1968 exchanged $3,504,160 of their own money for $6,530,541 worth of food stamp coupons. The bonus coupons not only increased the food buying power of needy families, but also gave a boost to the local economy of participating counties and their communities. North Carolina has had a food stamp program since 1965 when Ber tie, Chowan, Forsyth, Martin, North ampton and Surry counties entered the program. As of June 30, 19 addi tional counties had entered the pro gram. Since June 30, 3 other North Carolina counties have inaugurated a food stamp program. They are Warren, Anson and Nash counties. The North Carolina Board of Public Welfare is responsible, through its state and county offices, for interviewing and certifying eligible needy families in each community and for issuing food coupons to them. Families which are eligible for food stamp aid include those getting some type of public assistance such as aid to the disabled, aid to the blind, aid to dependent children, and old-age assis tance; the unemployed; and those with limited incomes such as persons on small pensions. The Consumer and Marketing Ser vice is responsible for the authoriza tion of food merchants--both retail and wholesale. Grocers must be autho rized before thy can accept USDA food coupons from families taking part in the program. Without authori zation. a grocer cannot redeem cou pons for cash at local banks or through an authorized wholesaler. At the end of fiscal 1968, there were over 1,700 grocers in North Carolina authorized8 to accept food stamp coupons. The Consumer and Marketing Ser vice is also responsible for promoting voluntary compliance. Periodic checks are made to insure that each of these stores is complying with food stamp regulations. If a grocer is found guilty of such things as giving cash in ex change for coupons, selling ineligible items, accepting coupons in payment of back bills or shortchanging a food stamp customer, his store is subject to being disqualified from the program for a period of up to 3 years. In addition to being disqualified, a grocer who violates program regula tions may face further action against him to collect claims under food stamp program regulations or possible prosecution under any criminal or other applicable statute, which pro vides for maximum penalties of 5 years imprisonment or a $10,000 fine, or both. As Many As 26 May Die On Highways While Labor Day will actually be free of toil for most workers, it wont be free of driving hazards which the N. C. State Motor Club wams could kill as many as 26 persons and injure 700 others in more than 1,100 traffic accidents on North Carolina's street* and highways during the long week end. The state will count its highway fatalities for summer's last long holi day from 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, to midnight Monday, Sept. 2, a period of 78 hours. Last year's Labor Day toll claimed 30 killed and 693 injured in 1,123 accidents. Leading driver violations reported were: speeding. 261; drove left of center, 159; failed to yield right of way, 134; reckless driving, 90; and following too closely, 87.