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1 ~J “Charlotte’s Fastest Growing Community Weekly” * | blac^conTmers |
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MS. CONNIE DAVIS
—Responsible"working woman
Attractive Connie Davis
Is Our Beauty This Week
ay jcii narvey
Post Staff Writer
Don’t be fooled by this pic
ture of The Post Beauty of the
Week, Connie Davis.
If you think she’s Just anoth
er frivolous, pretty face you’re
all wrong.
A responsible working wo
man who is rearing two young
children alone, Connie is not
only concerned about her own
future and that of her child
ren, she is also aware of
problems other women in her
situation face and is actively
seeking to do something about
some of these problems; ti
“A couple of my friends and
1 are trying to put together an
organization that will help
women prepare themselves to
be independent if they find
themselves forced to make it
alone,” she said. ‘‘You’d be
surprised at how many women
there are who don’t know
anything about budgeting or
signing installment contracts
or balancing a checkbook.
Some of them don’t even know
how to write a check".
Connie, who is a senior teller
at First Union Bank on North
Tryon feels every woman sho
uld know how to do as much
for herself as possible. ‘‘Girls
usually grow up planning to
get married and live happily
ever after, but it doesn’t al
ways work out that way”, she
pointed out. "Circumstances
often leave a woman to fend
for herself and unless we’re
equipped in this highly sophis
ticated society we live in, it
can be tough "
Connie hopes that the new
organization, when complete,
will include members with
personal insights and skills to
help other women, through
training and support groups.
A 1969 graduate of Olympic
High, Connie has been with
First Union for 21* years and
says she plan to stay there and
learn all she can and build a
future for herself and .her
children, Mandrey, age 3, and
Malleka, 6.
Most of her free time is
spent with the children and
she says they are the most
important thing in her life.
Whenever possible she plays
tennis or bowls but enjoys
reading and listenting to black
modern jazz, too The family
attends Moore’s Sanctuary
AME Zion Church on Morris
Field Road. Rev. J. M.
McCall is the pastor
especially In The North
School Desegregation
Is Still Just A Dream?
Special To The Post
Events of recent months
have served to focus attention
on racial separatism. It is a
highly significant factor in the
continuing emergence of so
cial ills which are weakening
the moral and economic stren
gth of our democratic society.
And nowhere is separatism
more readily apparent than in
Eastern and Midwestern ci
ties and their school systems.
Shortly after the 1954 Su
preme Court decision in Bro
wn vs. Topeka, Kansas Board
of Education, this newspaper
X’ntured an opinion that
school desegregation -- as face
rather than fancy - would
occur in Southern states well
before it materialized up Nor
th.
Grounds for that prediction
were sound. Southern kids,
although attending different
schools, frequently lived in the
same neighborhood and play
ed together in a manner which
often bore the fruit of friend
ship. But even then relation
ships across the color line
were less easily attainable in
Northern cities where housing
patterns and school atten
dance areas narrowed the
scope of intergroup relations.
"White flight” to suburbig
has accelerated, further wid
ening an already formidable
communication gap and mak
._*
ing a mockery out of what for
more than twenty frustrating
years has been a legal man
date for a greater measure of
“racial balance” in schools.
Today, except in the South
and those spots across the
country where blacks ace hea
vily outnumbered, school de
segregation remains far more
a dream than reality. And
most notable of those excep
tions is Little Rock, Arkansas,
where it all began in a discou
raging manner early one mid
September morning in 1957.
Standing in the school house
door, Arkansas' race-baiting
Governor Orval Faubus al
ready had tried and failed to
thwart plans for compliance
with courtordered desegrega
tion, thus setting the stage for
a less theatrical but more
threatening public reaction.
That response came in the
form of a massive show of
defiance just a few days later
on September 23.
Long before bells rang at
Central High, more than a
thousand irate whites gather
ed to hurl insulting obscenities
and threats at unknown and as
yet unseen, but no less un
wanted newcomers called
“niggers.” While awaiting the
main event, the snarling mob
vented its fury on newsmen,
kicking and beating a black
photographer to the ground.
During that commotion,
nine black students - neatly
dressed for the pioneering
occasion - were hastily usher
ed into the building. Their
arrival signalled a mass exo
dus of white youngsters who
stalked out echoing the fury of
their protesting elders.
What followed was reviewed
in a recent edition of the Chris
tian Science Monitor: “The
next day, under orders from
President Eisenhower, 300 pa
ratroopers from the elite 101st
Airborne Division stood guard
at the school. Armed with
combat bayonets, they enabl
ed the "Little Rock Nine" to
enter safely for the first
time."
That was two decades ago
Shortage Unlikely
Local Coal Stockpile To
Last44At Least” 60 Days
“Justice For
1
McCombs
Day” Set
The Support Committee for
the Legal Defense of John E.
McCombs has set aside Sun
day, December 11, as “Justice
for John E. McCombs Day”
and as a part of that obser
vance there will be a Songfest
at Friendship Baptist Church.
The program, which will be
at 4 p.m., will feature choira
from Mount Ofrmel, Antioch,
University Park and Friend
ship Baptist Churches, as well
as John Morrow and the Kirk
patrick Brothers.
Mrs. Jessie McCombs will
also render several solos.
All donations will be used to
secure a new trial for Mc
Combs, who is serving a 60
year sentence for alledgedly
murdering a Durham police
man during a drug raid. The
defense claims McCombs did
not know the victim was a law
officer due to his mode of
dress and the circumstances
surrounding the raid. Young
McCombs was a college stu
dent at the time of the inci
dent.
Mrs. Jessie McCombs, mo
ther of the convicted man,
said that public awareness of
her son’s plight has been
heightened by the speaking
appearance of his lawyer, C.C.
Malone, in Charlotte at a
public meeting recently.
She also said her son is
adjusting well to life in Cen
tral Prison in Raleigh. She
added that he reads extensive
ly and has begun writing a
book. Ultimately, she says, he
would like to work with disad
vantaged youth as he feels
there are not enough concern
ed adults trying to help the
young people of the world.
learning, Support
Session Set For
Charlotte 3
In order to increase the
public's awareness of the situ
ation of the Charlotte 3, a
Learning and Support Session
will be held at the Downtown
Public Library Sunday, De
cember 11.
A slide show will be present
ed and a speaker will be on
hand to answer questions.
The program is sponsored
by the North Carolina Politi
cal Prisoners Committee
Richard E. Maxwell Sr. Completes
Term On Board Of Band Directors
By Dianne Simpson
Post Staff Writer
Richard E. Maxwell Sr.,
past director of bands of West
Charlotte High and Northwest
Junior High Schools and the
present director of Albemarle
Road and Hawthorne Junior
High School bands, has com
pleted his term on the Board of
Band Directors. His succes
sion was noted at the North
Carolina Music Education As
sociation (NCMEAi Band Sec
tion board of directors spon
sored at the Benton Conven
tion Center recently held at
the Hyatt House in Winston
Salem.
During his term on Board of
Directors for the Band Section
Maxwell was the first and only
black member of an eight
member board to be elected
since the merger of the two
music associations in 1970
This bright minded, Job ac
complishing individual was di
rectly responsible for bringing
in black Judges (the first time
ever) to judge the State Con
test of the State Festival High
School Band Competition whi
ch first originated in 1973.
He is the only black band
director, up to this point,
whose three musical selec
tions which he presented at
the New Music Clinic at the
University of North Carolina
in Greensboro, were selected
and placed in the North Caro
lina Contest List Booklet for
1978 These selections were
Tallis-Kinyon's "Choral and
Cannon, ’ Correlli-Suchoff
‘ Dance Suite for Band" and
Havdn-Piato “Three Diverti
menti.”
Since his directing at the
schools of Albermale Road Jr.
High and Hawthorne Jr. High,
their bands have performed
before six judges and have
won six superior ratings, one
from each judge, at the State
Festival Bands Contest held in
Kannapolis and at the A L.
Brown High School
He was the 1975 Chairman of
Group No 2 Music Committee
at UNC in Greensboro
Maxwell is presently the
clarinet judge of the N C
Allstate Band Assoc., a mem
her of the Charlotte-Mecklen
burg Band Assoc , Charlotte
Community "Messiah" Cho
rus (that renders events for
the Christmas and Easter sea
sons), Charlotte Music Club,
N C. Band Directors Assoc
Richard E Maxwell Sr
Only black member
N C Music Education Assoc ,
and recently a member of the
National Band Assoc
Maxwell loves working with
See MAXWELL On Page 2B
LINCOLN-MERCURY DEALER SAM JOHNSON
..Definitely ready for business
First Black-Owned New
Car Dealership Opens Here
By Jeri Harvey
. Post Staff Writer
The paint is barely dry and
there are still some last min
ute touches to be added to the
building housing the new Lin
coln-Mercury dealership on
Pineville Hoad, but shiny new
cars fill the showroom and
owner-operator, Sam John
son, is definitely ready for
business.
The first black owner of a
new car dealership in Char
lotte, Johnson has already
demonstrated his ability to
succeed in the highly compe
titive car sales market by
taking a failing agency in St
Louis in 1973 and turning it
into a profitable enterprise
This year that agency ranked
wh among the top 100 black
owned businesses in the na
tion, according to Black En
terprize Magazine.
Seated behind the desk in his
neat, simply furnished office,
Johnson displayed some of the
charm and self-confidence
that helps make him a "super
salesman.” by his own des
cription.
"My first job was sweeping
up around a used car lot," he
said, “and when the guy who
' owned the lot became a Buick
dealer he took me with him
and later gave me a chance to
sell cars."
It didn’t take long for John
son to establish himself as one
of the top Buick salesmen in
the country, earning over $40,
000 a year. In 1973 he approa
ched General Motors about
managing a dealership hut
was turned down and went to
the people at Lincoln-Mercu
ry
"Somehow 1 was able to
convince them to give me a
chance though it was unheard
of to hire a man as mahager
with no management experi
ence. Anyway, in August 1 was
selling cars and in September
1 was managing an agency."
Then with obvious pride he
said, “They said it couldn't he
done but I turned that business
around and paid out 'bought
the agency i in 2'* years, the
shortest time a Lineoln-Mer
cury dealership has ever paid
out."
Johnson attributes most of
his success to hard work and
his ability to get along well
with people He learned about
hard work early, chopping and
picking cotton on a farm in
West Memphis, Arkansas His
parents were sharecroppers
with 11 children and every
body did their share After
graduation from high school
he left for St Louis and the
rest is history.
His decision to come to
Charlotte stemmed from a
natural desire to expand and
since he was looking for a
place in the south or south
west, when he heard the new
dealership here was available
he came to look the city over
“I liked what I saw," he
remembered. "Charlotte is a
nice size city and it has
tremendous growth potential
Since making the move I've
continued to lie impressed by
what’s happening here I’ve
had a lot of encouragement
from local business leaders
and the other car dealers have
been just great I think I've
made a good move and I’m
extremely optimistic about
my future in Charlotte."
Though he will maintain the
agency in St Louis. Johnson
has moved his wife and four
sons here The oldest son
attends Barber-Scotia Col
lege in Concord.
Commuting between the two
cities leaves little time for
relaxation but when he can, he
says he watches "a lot of
football ." His claim that he
“can get along with the devil '
was put to a severe test when
this reporter naively asked if
St lxiuis has a football team
"Have we got a football te
am!", he fairly shouted, but
quickly regained his compo
sure to patiently quote statis
tics about his beloved Carrie
According to James A
Wiesner, sales manager of
Lincoln Mercury's Atlanta
district, Charlotte's new pas
senger car sales are expected
to total about 30,000 units this
year, a 14 percent increase
over 1976 This is in contrast to
an 8 percent increase for all
new car sales in the Atlanta
district and an increase of
only 3 percent nationally
Borough Lincoln Mercury,
the only other Lincoln-Mercu
ry dealer in Charlotte, is run
by Kandy Borough who Wies
ner said has "done a tremen
dous job in Charlotte since
1965 "
“We have been seeking ad
ditional representation in this
burgeoning Charlotte rfietro
politan area, ' Wiesner added
Rising Prices,
Hoarding
Predicted
By Jeri Harvev
Post Staff Writer
Local coal retailers say they
have enough coal stockpiled to
last at least 60 days if the
strike by 180,000 union coal
miners should continue that
long Some also reported a
sudden surge in sales the day
after the strike announcement
and predicted hoarding and
rising prices
One dealer, who declined to
have his name used, said most
of his coal is sold by the ton
and sales had been brisk"
the first day of the strike He
predicted there would be
"some hoarding' and when
asked if he would consider
imposing any sort of rationing
to insure the fair distribution
of the fuel he said, "I can't
take it upon myself to decide
how much coal a person shou
ld buy 1 have a product to sell
and I'll sell it to whoever has
the price."
He said he has few custo
mers who buy by the bag as
his firm was not in 'that kind
of neighborhood.'' U
Marshall Herrin, of Herrin
Brothers Coal and Ice, said he
has "ample” supplies for a
bout 60 days and said there is a
possibility of price increases if
the strike should go on for a
while.
"We've already absorbed
several increases and further
ones will probably have to be
passed on to the customers,'
he said
Lowder Coal Company own
er^pill Wilder said he attri
bu.ed the increase in sales to
"a lot of cold wind" that was
blowing the day after the
strike was announced He join
ed Herrin in agreeing that
there is a possibility of some
rise in the cost of coal Wilder
saw hoarding as a remote
possibility and said he expect
ed to have enough for anyone
who needs it
Wholesalers who supply fuel
to utilities and other big coal
users, say their clients have
supplies on hand to last from
60 to 90 days and added that
should the strike continue lon
ger than that they the deal
ersi will resort to buying
non-union coal to fill orders
In the mean time, these
companies are busy making
plans for the future and con
ducting "business as usual "
There are reports, too. that
the mine operators them
selves were prepared for the
strike and may even have
welcomed it as a means of
depleting industry reserves
and thus forcing a boost in the
price of coal
The miners had expected to
he laid off anyway due to the
massive amounts of coal al
ready out of the ground Add
ed to that is the approaching
winter weather which makes
driying to and from work over
treacherous mountain roads
hazardous and freezing tem
peratures which affect the
operation of mine eqiupment
All in all the strike couldn't
have come at a more fortui
tous time for the workers,
aside from whatever benefits
emerge from a settlement
A union spokesman pointed
out that strikes are cheaper
than lay-offs since strikers
don't receive unemployment
benefits while they are out "
At least on the lurTice, It
appears that everyone was
See COAL On Page 5
...Do not expect that EVERY
ONE WILL THINK YOU ARE
PERFECT. Be SATISFIED if
you are ABLE TO FOOL ONE
OR TWO PEOPLE.