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FEB 2 M9;Q ^Chariotte^s Fastest Growing Community Weekly” [ blackconslSiers
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NAACP Head
Ben Hooks
To Talk Here
•
Benjamin L. Hooks, Execu
tive Director of the National
Association for the Advance
ment of Colored People will
speak in Charlotte on Sunday,
despite rumors that he might
be considering resigning as
the organization’s leaddr.
“I have no intentions of
3| resigning from the NAACP,
and they have no intentions of
firing me.”
In saying this, Hooks dis
missed reports that there are
problems between him and
NAACP board members.
The NAACP under Hooks
direction is in favor of a more
vigorous energy policy which
would enhance Black partici
pation economically. The civil
rights organization has come
under heavy fire for what
critics have labeled its “non
position" on energy.
“Our main concern is the
production of energy. If dere
gulation will do it, then fine. If
regulation will accomplish
fkta rt.nl fka. .... 1— t_
of that. The burden of proof
lies in what position will rea
lize this end," Hooks said.
Hooks also stated that the
NAACP in concert with other
civil rights groups will wage a
massive letter writing cam
paign to protest South African
participation in the Davis Cup
tennis matches to be held in
Nashville, Tenn., in March.
Hooks who is sponsored by
the Charlotte-Mecklenbrug
branch of the NAACP is ex
• pec ted to arrive at Friend
ship Baptist Church for a
> press conference at 6 p.m.
•.• •February », whfch is to be
followed by a speech at ? p.m.
Post To Cover
Top Basketball
Tournaments
In its continuing efforts to
provide the best sports news
for you, the Charlotte Post has
assigned its top reporters to
cover three major sports
events this weekend.
Gerald Johnson and Bob
Johnson, author of the most
widely read columns in the
area, will journey to Hamp
ton, Va. to give you behind -
the-scene reports on the fam
ed CIAA Basketball Tourna
ment.
Chase Vance, our sports
writer, will stay in town to
cover the high school and the
Sun Belt Tournaments.
In the meantime, publisher
Bill Johnson will travel to
Greensboro to report on the
MEAC Basketball Tourna
. ment
1 Remember 1/ you’re looking
for the best coverage in local
and sports events, The Char
lotte Post is the newspaper
and the best place to find it.
The Post in its continued
effort to please its readers
takes pride in the expanded
coverage on toe sports page.
Look for the All County High
School Basketball Team and
the Player of the Year to
appMr (n these pages next
And in the spring features
will be coming your way on
the golf, tennis, baseball, and
track star* at the Southwest
era 4-A Conference
V •L.'nTi. r.rff.-y;.
, k
LOVUL.Y AMY UDMUNLto
...Says “thin is in”
Miss Amy Edmunds
Is Beauty Of Week
Dy jeri nui vcy
POST Staff Writer
Lean and lovely Amy Ed
munds is The Post Beauty of
the week.
Five feet ten inches tall and
weighting 125 pounds, this
willowy lass said she was teas
ed about her slimness wnne
growing up in Halifax, Vir
ginia, but she's got the last
laugh now because “thin is
in^
'“ Waiting in an office for an
appointment recently, her
striking looks and mannequin
proportions were spotted by
the beauty editor of a local
daily and as a result she
appeared in a fashion show at
a large department store
though she’d never modeled
before.
The experience proved so
enjoyable that Amy’s hoping
to appear in more shows and
says she wouldn’t rule out a
serious modeling career.
At present the soft-spoken
young woman is a sophomore
at Davidson College, majoring
in Public Policy, a program
she describes as “a combina
tion of all the social sciences,
and a new innovation in col
lege curriculums.” In fact
Davidson doesn’t h^ve a Pub
lic Policy department but
Amy is benefitting from an
arrangement where students
can design their own Curri
culum. '
Last summer, as a currK
culum project she worked
with Joe Martin, dirpcTof or
Public Policy at NCNB and
found it “fascinating.”
“I worked with people ap
plying for loans to rehabilitate
old homes in Fourth Ward.
One of the best parts was
doing personal interviews and
getting to meet all kinds of
interesting people,” Amy
said.
As a result of the project she
became so interested in hous
ing and urban renewal that
she’s continued doing related
work during the present
school year.
Asked how she came to
select Davidson, Amy said she
visited the campus during
her senior year in high school
and was “very impressed.”
Davidson provided the small
campus atmosphere she was
looking for In a school and the
chance to get away from old
friends and make some new
ones. So far she’s been pleased
with her choice.
A “Self-Starter,” by her own
description, Amy said she's
finding plenty to do in Char
lotte. Last fall she worked in
the mayoral campaign and
plana to continue her political
involvement in such areas as
voter registration and voter
education ''I'm never at a
loss for something to do,” she
laughed. "If anything, I tend
to get over-involved."During
high school days Amy said she
was. into every unrig irom^iu
dent body president to a mod
em dance group, track an<
4-H.
What little free time thi
busy young lady has is spen
making her own clothes, doini
cross stitch embroidery, cook
ing or listening to “mellov
jazz.” She explained she foum
out a long time ago that it’
simpler and cheaper to mak
her own clothes because of he
height and size. “Tilings ol
the rack either don’t fit or co«
a fortune,” she added.
Amy finds no contradictio
in her domestic side and he
career goals, saying, “I agre
with the basic principals of th
women's movement whicl
deal with equal pay for equa
work and so forth, but
wouldn’t like to see a reversa
or elimination of traditiona
roles. I don’t think it’s degrad
ing to have children or be ,
home-maker if that’s one’
choice and I certainly don'
mind men opening doors fo
me. I go for the whole lace an
flowers bit,” she conclude
with a smile.
Amy is the younger daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. James E.
Edmunds and she has one
older brother and a sister,
both married.
A member of New Bethe
Baptist Church, she sang ir
the Junior Choir and taugh
Sunday School, before movinf
to Charlotte.
Second Public
Health Conference
Set For March 1—2
CHAPEL HILL - Dr. Johi
L.S. Holloman, former presi
dent of New York City’s Heal
th and Education Corporation
will be the keynote speaker a
the second annual spring mi
nority public health confer
ence March 1 • 2 at Ihi
University of North Caroiiiu
at Chapel Hill.
Holloman will speak at i
a.m. March 1.
SptSC* 4 Iffichftet A. Redic imuaicu wim uic imp .miauun ui macK JournaiiSLS
Local Youth Honored For Peacetime Heroism
By Jeri Harvey
Poet Staff Writer
Specialist 4 Michael A. Re
dic was recently given the
Army's highest award for
peacetime heroism for helping
to save the life of a drowning
child.
Stationed in Panama, SP4
Redic and some friends were
at the beach last May when
they noticed several Panama
nians attempting to resaw s
small child from the surf.
Redic and SP4 Thomas Me
rengueli-Diaz went to assist
and a sworn statement by
Mr*. Denise Merengueli-Dias
reads in part: "My husband
and SP4 Redic were trying to
swim out to her but a whirl
pool was making it very diffi
cult. My husband was net
able to get out there but Redie
fared better Seeing that no
one out there was doing the
girl any good Redic tried to
take her from the arms of a
Panamanian who was too sca
red to do anything.
“When Redic finally got her
•way from the Panamanian,
being taller than anyone else
Mlrtwil A. Italic
...U.8, Army hero
jut there he was able to keep
her head above water most of
the time This was very diffi
cult to do because he was in a
whirlpool which was so strong
that it was hard for him to
keep his footing It took him IS
minutes to get her out of the
water ”
The statement then went on
to describe how Mrs Meren
gueli-Diaz's husband was able
to administer first aid and
mouth to mouth resuscitation
and accompany the child to
the hospital where she was
treated and found to be suffer
ing no ill effects from her
ordeal
A statement issued by the
U S Army disclosed that the
undertow at Santa Clara bea
ch on the Pacific side of the
, Cana I Zone is extremely dan
gerous. and Kedic and the
other serviceman were in ex
treme hazard while complet
ing the rescue
Redic is the son of Mr and
Mrs Willie Roberts of 2705
Beechnut Road and is a 1975
graduate of Harding High
School
Duke Power Urges Sharply
Reduced Use Of Electricity
I CA Calls For
Hearing On
i
i Rate Hike
Carolina Action Wednesday
called for the Utilities Com
mission to hold night hearings
in Charlotte on Duke Power’s
request for a 9.3 percent in
crease in electric rates.
“We feel the working people
of Charlotte need to get a
chance to speak out on this
outrageous rate request,” said
Carolina Action spokesperson
Brenda Best. "We don’t have
the money to drive all the way
up to Raleigh or to take a day
off from work to be heard.
That's why we hope the Com
mission will bold hearings
here."
I In a letter to Robert Koger,
chairman of the Utilities Com
i mission, Ms. Best explained
t Carolina Action’s rationale for
r opposing the rate hike: “The
company claims tht it is need
, ed because of the demand for
I new plant construction and
. because of ‘inflation.’ We feel
» that rate hikes such as the one
r requested are one of the pri
f mary factors creating infla
t tion. We also feel that new
plant construction should not
i be underwritten by the resi
r dential consumer when it is
• not our demand which is crea:
; ting the need for new plants
i We are shocked at the accoun
1 ting and tax procedures which
[ ctuuw uwc ruwcr iu wine on
I its Federal taxes by building
1 new plants, while the small
- ratepayer foots the bill,”
t
s Carolina Action is a state
t wide citizen’s action organi
r zation, with offices-iiv Raleigh,
j Greensboro, Durham, and
j Charlotte. It is involved in
organizing for neighborhood
improvements as well as utili
ty reform.
Miss Charlotte
Beauty Pageant
Set For March 3
The 12th Annual Miss cnar
lotte-Mecklenburg Pageant
will be held at Dana Auditori
um, Queens College on March
3 at 8 p.m. Once again, Loonis
McGloon will direct this pa
geant which will include 21
i young women wishing to go
the Miss North Carolina Pa
geant.
Tickets may be purchased
at any First Union or Branch
Bank and Trust. The pageant
is sponsored by the Mecklen
burg Jaycees and Jaycettes
Among the contestants are:
Sandra White, Teresa Cole
man, Sandra Potts, Rosalynn
Boyce and Linda Bratten
A W m
-w * **•» 4 «wt w 4WVHUC Wl 11C1 L» CApUtlih
ing “Beauty of the Year" contest rules to the
contestants at McDonald’s Cafeteria last
riiuajr lu^m. -D ___ ^uuusner
Bill Johnson, center, and Mrs Brannon,
mother of contestant Alice Brannon
Our Beauty Of Year” Contest
/
Receives Rousing Sendoff
Rv .Ipri Harupv ^^
Post Staff Writer
Earning the distinction of
becoming The Charlotte POST
Beauty of the Year and win
ning cash and fabulous prizes
was uppermost in the minds of
the lovely young women who
gathered at McDonald's Cafe
teria last Friday night. The
tastefully decorated smaller
dining room of the well-known
restaurant was reserved and
delicious refreshments pre
pared by the able staff of the
cafeteria were invitingly dis
played.
Contestants and staff mem
bers of The POST met at 7
p.m. to get acquainted and go
over the rules of the contest
together Bill Johnson, pub
lisher; Julius Watson, circula
tion director; and Jeri Har
vey, staff writer gave brief
presentations.
Writer of "What's Happen
ing,” Bob Johnson; general
manager Bernard Reeves, of
fice manager Clara Ford and
Mr. Watson's assistant, Mary
McCallum were also on hand
to lend support
Among the young ladies
present were Bertha Adams,
Cheryl Howell, Mary Charles,
Gwendolyn Rozzell, Candice
Council, Pamela Allison, Lisa
Laster, Perdensal Springs and
Charlotte Gordon Alice Bran
non was represented by her
mother
A number of contestants
were unable to attend due to
flu, work demands and prior
committments but they're
maxing arrangements to pick
up information and materials
from our office this week
They include Cynthia Hoo
ver, Shirley White, Eileen
Neely, Tammy Calloway, Cla
retta Hailey, Sandra Alexan
der, Darlene Herron and Amy
Edmonds.
Readers of The POST can
help their favorite contestant
by taking out new subscrip
tions as gifts to local and
out-of-town relatives, friends,
students away at school or
servicemen stationed through
out the United States and
abroad There's nothing like
being able to read what’s
going on back home to brigh
ten the day of someone far
away.
Call one of the contestants
and do her a favor and do a
iavor tor a lovea one at the
same time They’ll both ap^
predate it! And remember,
the wider the POST's circula
tion, the better able we'll be to
grow and be the kind of paper
you want to represent you.
There's still plenty of time
to get in on the fun and
excitement but don't hestitate
any longer. Some contestants
have already got off to a
bang-up start and competition
is really keen
Anyone who hasn't put her
name on the list of partici
pants in this exciting contest
still have time to do so by
calling Mr Watson at 392-1306
or dropping by the POST s
office at 2606-B West Blvd be
tween 9:30 and 5:30 any week
day except Friday when we
close at 1 p m.
President Discusses Issuses
With Black Media Leaders
President Carter has advis
ed black media leaders that
his Administration plaits to
triple the amount of Federal
funds devoted to the training
and employment of young mi
nority teenagers
This would increase the a
mount of funds for such pro
grams from $776 million to
$2.3 billion
The President said that “we
are making steady progress
and many of the programs
that we initiated with the helD
of the Congress in 1978 are just
beginning to have its full
effect and be observed "
The President made the
comments in a 30-minute
question and answer session
with representatives of four
major black media organiza
tions the National Newspaper
Publishers Association. Black
Media, Inc . National Associa
tion of Black-owned Broad
casters. and the National As
sociation of Black .lonmaltctc
Gov. Hunt
Joins Cut
Back Appeal
By Jeri Harvey
Post Staff Writer
As coal reserves at its pow er
plants dropped to about a
50-dav level. Duke Power
Company urgently appealed
to customers to eliminate all
unnecessary uses of electri
city.
On Monday. Governor Jim
Hunt joined in this appeal to
North Carolinians to cut back
on electrical use to conserve
coal
To keep its customers in
formed. Duke Power will issue
daily status reports until the
coal strikes ends and the
company begins getting a nor
mal amount of coal.
'Tn view of the current
situation in the coal strike and
Duke s level of coal supply we
want to make our customers
aware that it is in their best
interest to sharply reduce use
of electricity on a voluntry
basis." said Austin C Theis,
Senior V ice-Pi csident in char
ge of Production and Trans
mission
Theis said it must be em
phasized that the plea for
conservation is extremely se
rious and the consequences of
ignoring it or not cooperating
fully could dramatically alter
the way people in North Caro
lina work and live should the
strike continue and manda
tory curtailments become ne
cessary
After a settlement is reach
ed it is likely to take 10 days
for the local unions to ratifv
the agreement and another
three weeks before the normal
supply reaches the plants
Duke Power is making the
appeal for conservation to the
general public, industrial,
commercial, residential co
ops and municipal customers
and has already instructed all
its own offices to cut back on
lighting and non-essential e
lectrical uses It is also mak
ing maximum use of hydro
units
In his Monday press confer
ence Gov Hunt emphasized
that North Carolina is not yet
in a crisis situation due to
several reasons, including the
fact that utility companies
stockpiled a 100 day supply of
coal Iasi summer North
Carolina generates about 30
percent of its coal from nu
clear plants and gets more
coal from non union sources
than most states do
The governor said also.
"Our Energy Policy Council
las drawn up an Emergency
Energy Plan, getting ideas
irom people all across the
state^Ve have laid out what
kintfSof conservation measur
cs we need to take and when
we should take them "Right
now we are in Phase I of the
three phase plan - we are
monitoring coal supplies and
weather conditions, and our
Energy Division Director, Uti
lities Commission Chairman
and Public Staff Director are
meeting weekly to assess the
situation "
When Duke Power's sup
plies reach about the 40 day
level. Duke will begin a five
percent voltage reduction and
state officials are expected to
institute voluntary curtail
ment of non-essential uses
At the 20-dav level, rotating
blackouts (brownouts) could
begin. Electrical service wou
ld be interrupted for certain
periods of time