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PAGE A6
Xfinsion-Saleni Chronicle
The Twin dry's Award-Winning Weekly
)I.XIV,No. 23
U.S.P.S. No. 067910
WInstonSalem, N.C.
Thursday, January 28,1988
50 cents
26 Pages This Week
Woman accused of larceny and forgery stirs controversy
3y ANGELA WRIGHT
^hrnnicle Managing Editor
On February 11, 1988 Versell McDaniel Fuller
)f6635 El Rancho Drive, Rural Hall, is scheduled to
r in court to stand trial for four counts of forgery
[or which, if convicted, she could spend five years in
irison. As soon as she is able to retain a lawyer, she
iviE also have to stand trial for four counts of larceny
or which she could receive 10 to 40 years in prison.
There are two separate and distinct groups who
lold more than a passing interest in her case: one is
white and affluent, to whom Fuller is a culprit; the
)lher is Afro-American and grassroots-oriented, to
whom Fuller is the victim.
Her accusers are former employers who paint a
^rtrait of a shrewd, manipulative con artist who
lufiJUySj
THE NATION'S NEWS
Compiled From AP Wire
DJ fired for MLK racial slurs
PITTSFIELD, Mass. - A disc jockey has been
ired for making racial jokes on the air on Martin
.other King Jr. Day, a radio station announced.
Frank C. Turck wH fired last week after he
^ened his live show with the remark, "It's Martin
jither Kind Day. Let's break out the watermelon and
iieil chicken," according to Patrick Ryan, the pro-
[ram director for WBEC-FM.
fAACP apologizes to Wallace
MONTGOMERY Ala. - An NAACP leader said
rtiomas Reed's comment that God is punishing ciip-
iled former Gov. George Wallace for his past segre-
ationist views likely hurt Reed's effort to remove
the Confederate battle flag from atop the Capitol.
The state president of the NAACP will not be
allowed to pull down the Confederate battle flag
atop the dome of the Alabama Capitol, Gov.
Guy Hunt said last Saturday.
ail beatings put 3 behind bars
MONTGOMERY Ala. - A federal judge Monday
ntenced a former Pike County deputy and two for-
Jr prisoners, all three black, in the beating of a
iiiie inmate who prosecutors said was forced into a
li with other prisoners after he used a racial slur.
Activists; Impeach Mecham
TUCSON " A noted civil rights activist implored
Arizonans to impeach Gov. Evan Mecham, to rein
state the King holiday and to work against racism in
ihis country.
The governor of the state of Arizona has sought
declare null and void the holiday for the only
ick man in this country," the Rev. Ralph Aber-
% said Friday. "It is shameful and disgraceful. I
>5 you, with all your power and all your strength
impeach him ... and this is all a part of racism."
allegedly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars worth
of their personal property over a period of several
months.
Her supporters, who are ministers, educators
and community activists, say Fuller is a functionally
"This is a case of a powerful,
rich white woman who pretends to be
a pseudo-liberal but she is trying to
crush a poor black woman."
- The Rev. .John Mendez
illiterate, widowed mother of two whose civil rights
have been violated.
Some of her supporters have formed a group
called Black Women for Justice to "provide moral,
legal and financial assistance" to Fuller. The group is
led by Dr. Dolly McPherson, associate professor of
English at Wake Forest University, and was founded
by Mrs. Minnie Ervin, cosmetologist and entrepreneur.
Other members are Dr. Glenda Gill, associate
professor of English at Winston-Salem State Universi
ty; Dr. Elwanda Ingram, associate professor of English
at WSSU; Mrs. Mazie Woodruff, former county com
missioner; Barbara Lee and Magdalene Watson, public
school teachers.
Rev. John Mendez of Emmanuel Baptist Church
and Rev. Carlton A. G. Eversley of Dellabrook Pres
byterian Church actively support the group with "pas
toral, moral and humanitarian support.” The local
NAACP is also supporting the group and Fuller.
About the only point that is not in contention is
the fact that Fuller worked as a domestic for: Mrs.
Leigh Rose of 1040 Arbor Rd., Winston-Salem; Mrs.
Elsie Popkin of 740 Arbor Rd., Winston-Salem; Mrs.
Loy McGill of 940 Partridge Lane, Winston-Salem;
and Mrs. Deborah Coleman King of 2883 Robiidiood
Rd., Winston-Salem.
There are even contradictory accounts of how
Fuller came to be in the employ of these four women.
Rose said a friend referred FuIIct to her after learning
that Rose was in search of domestic assistance. Rose
said she then referred Fuller to King and eventually to
McGill and Popkin. Fuller said she knew King before
she knew Rose and that after she had wcxked for King
for about a year. King referred her to Rose and subse
quently to Popkin and McGill.
The stories become more disparate. One major
dispute involves the reason Fuller was initially sus
pected of malfeasance. Fuller said she was suspected
Please see page A3
800 Afro-Americans affected
AT&T plant to close
By ROBIN BARKSDALE
Chronicle Staff Writer
Congratulations, Coach
City and university officials turned out last Saturday during halftime of the Rams' bas
ketball game to pay special recognition to the coach of the CIAA champion Rams,
Bill Hayes. Above, Alderman Larry Wortible, left, presents a plaque to Hayes in
recognition of his team's championship season (photo by Santana).
AT&T announced last Wednesday that it will close its North Carolina
W)rks plant on Lexington Road, which employs 3,300 people. More than
800 Afro-Americans will be affected by the closing. Sewne managers will
be relocated but most ncwi-managers will loose their jobs. It is expected to
affect the entire community. Company officials said the 34-year-old plant
will be closed over a period of two to five years.
Ken Raschke, vice president for the plant's manufacturing division,
said Tuesday that strategies ftn* closing the plant and assisting employees
with relocation, job searches and benefit packages are still in the planning
stages.
"We're just starting and we've been meeting with managers from other
plants that have closed," Raschke said in a telephone interview frewn his
office. "It's still in the working process. There are a lot of questions that
we're not in a position to answer right now."
Raschke did say that local company officials hope to obtain more
information on what kinds of jobs are available in this area and how they
can best help to train their workforce to meet the requirements of those
positions. He said also that AT&T is soliciting questions Mid concerns from
its employees and that the company hopes at some point to set up a hotline
which will be available to answer employees' questions and to provide
other relevant information.
Linda Jones, a member of the plant's public relations dej^rtment, said
that officials "hope some of the employees will be able to get jobs within
AT&T,” but that plans are still being worked ouL She said that more defi-
Please see page A8
South adds Congressional seats; blacks lose them
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON -- Congressional dis
tricts represented by blacks and
Democrats are suffering population
declines as Americans shift toward the
Sun Belt, a private political consultant
reports.
Nearly every House district will have
to undergo some kind of redrawing
after the 1990 Census, Kimball Brace,
president of Election Data Services
Inc., said Monday.
Of the current districts, those held by
Democrats are more likely to have lost
population, while gainers tend more
often to be districts in Republican
hands, he pointed out.
Population changes appear likely to
give six more House seats to Califor
nia, according to 1990 population pro
jections done by Temple University, he
added, with Texas expected to gain four
seals and Florida three.
On the other hand. New York could
lose three seats, and Illinois, Michigan,
Ohio and Pennsylvania two apiece.
"Of the 177 Republican members of
the House of Representatives, 86 per
cent have gained population, while only
73 percent of the current (258) Demo
cratic members have done likewise,"
Brace reported.
Using Census Bureau estimates of the
1986 populations of each congression
al district, he pointed out that of the 50
districts suffering the largest popula
tion losses, 44 are represented by
Democrats.
And, he added, of 21 districts with 40
percent or more black residents, 16 lost
population. On the other hand, he
noted, of the 37 districts with 20 per
cent or more Hispanic populations, 33
gained population between 1980 and
1986.
Questions remain, however, about
how the shifts will affect future elec
tions.
If people moving into Republican dis
tricts adopt the outlook and politics of
people there, it could benefit the GOP,
Brace noted. On the other hand, shift
ing Democratic voters into Republican
districts could change the balance in
those areas.
Brace reported that the House district
suffering the largest population loss is
that of George W. Crockett, D-Mich. It
has lost nearly 70,000 people, a 13.6
percent decline.
Other districts suffering major losses
include those of Reps. William Coyne,
D-Pa.; Henry J. Nowak, D-N.Y.; John
Conyers, D-Mich., and Robert Garcia,
D-N.Y.
Brace said that while Democraiic-
held districts are more likely to be los
ing people, there are some notable ,
exceptions in the farm belt including a
28,326-residenl loss in Illinois' 18th
district, represented by House Minority
Leader Robert Michel.
UL job placements increase
•Joseph L. Dickstm, chairman of
Winston-Salem Urban League
td of Directors has announced
agency programs broke all pre-
''•ous records in 1987 by placing
UOO of their constituents in mean-
“■gful employment.
Dickson said, "Our General
'^ployment Program, funded by
"ited W^, led the way by increas-
dteir average of placements per
•aonth to 77, which reflects a 79 per-
increase over the average
placement rate of 43 in
. Hazel E. Brown, acting admin-
'^'^ator, said, "The overall success of
'"“'programs can be attributed to the
commitment and diligence of our
staff and the increased visibility of
the Urban League."
Brown went on to say that she
believes the growth and success of
agency programs will continue
throughout 1988.
The Urban League is a non
profit United Way agency that pro
vides a comprehensive range of ser
vices including employment assis
tance education and skilled training.
Youth and older adults, as well as
minorities and the disadvantaged,
benefit from these specialized ser
vices focused on developing social
and economic independence.
1 THIS WEEK 1
CLASSIFIED
B12
EDITORIALS
A4
ENTERPRISE
A2
FORUM
A5
OBITUARIES
B7
PEOPLE
A6
RELIGION
B6
SPORTS
B1
QUOTABLE; "... Social
Security has been so successful
precisely because It applies to
everyone." PAGEA4
Simmons calls for unity in seeking
County Board of Commissioners seat
By ROBIN BARKSDALE
Chronicle Staff Writer
Ann Simmons, who said she
will run a campaign focused on
uniting the residents of Forsyth
County, will file Thursday as a can
didate for a seat on the County
Board of Commissioners.
Simmons joins nine other can
didates who have filed for election
to one of the three vacant seats on
the board.
Simmons, a customer service
representative at Wachovia Bank,
said it’s lime that a new perspective
was brought to the current Board of
Commissioners.
'You're looking at a board of
five men and then you're looking at
a board of five white men," said
Simmons. "If they can relate to
women's issues and the problems of
women in Forsyth County, they
haven't been doing a good job of it.
And if they can relate to the prob
lems of minorities -• blacks,
women and the disadvantaged -
they haven't been doing a good job
with that either."
She said her efforts will be
concentrated on establishing unity
in the county and running what she
promises will be a grassroots cam
paign. Simmons
desert county
residents who
have
expressed
concern about
issues and
who have
offered policy
suggestions to
the board of
commission
ers.
Simmons
said that insti-
said she will not
1^^
Simmons
Please see page A8