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° “THE VOICE IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY*
**" —————
- • - .
NEW POST OFFICE FACILITY
3101 Beatties Ford Rd,
Monday, August 11
University Park Post
Office Moves To New Site
by Susan Ellsworth
Poet Staff Writer
The University Park
Post Office will open at a
new location on Monday,
August 11, according to
-Willie Stratford, a public
information spokesman for
the postal system.
Presently located at 3239
Beatties Ford Road, the
branch will be moved one
block north to 3101 Beatties
. Ford Road.
Charlotte’s General Mail
Facility had studied the
possibility of relocating the
6,000 sq. tool university
Park branch when the
lease expired on the build
ing in 1979.
At $24,000 a year, the
structure was judged too
large and costly to maint
OU1.
As a more economical
location, the renovated ser
vice station will coat a
projected $66,000 to operate
over the next ten years
compared with $240,000 for
the present building.
Relocated facilities are
projected to save taxpay
ers $25,343 during the first
year alone, Stratford said.
Since University Park’s
mail carriers already have
been assigned to other
facilities, “only one-third
of the. present footage is
needed,” Stratford explain
ed.
“We do not need to cont
inue to rent that much
space," he continued, em
phasizing that all services
will be provided at the new
location.
Controversy arose earl
ier when community
groups protested the re
located facility would be
too small.
Community leaders ex
pressed concern that elder
ly people aad others seek
ing food stamps would have
to line up outside the post
office building in inclement
weather.
Contained in a land tract
of 33,200 sq. feet, the new
facility will provide three
service windows (same as
current location) in 1,865
sq. feet of interior space.
Stratford said the build
ing has been remodeled to
meet all postal service re
quirements, anf the change
will not cause a reduction
in services.
Kincaid Names Champion
Deputy Campaign Manager
Mecklenburg Democratic
Chairman Snydor Thomp
son announced Tuesday
that Betty Jo Hamrick will
serve as campaign man
ager for Ninth District De
mocratic Congressional
candidate Randall Kincaid.
Mrs. Hamrick has been
active in the campaign
since its earlv stages and
will take over the central
coordination role as the
campaign gears up for its
major thrust, from Labor
Day onward, Thompson
said.
Thompson also announc- .
ed the appointment of edu
cator Joe Champion as de
puty campaign manager.
“This campaign is honored
that someone with Joe
Champion’s stature In our
community has consented
to give time to this impor
tant effort,” Thompson
said. Thompson will con
tinue as chairman of the
Kincaid for Congress steer
ing committee.
Mrs. Hamrick first be
came involved in politics 10
years ago, when aha began
ea in many other Demo
cratic campaigns, includ
ing county commission,
city council, mayoral and
presidential races. She also
worked for passage of the
Charlotte Memorial Hos
pital bond issue in 1979.
Mrs. Hamrick, a native
of High Point, and a grad
uate of Wake Forest Uni
versity, has lived in Char
lotte for 29 years and is a
former teacher in Char
lotte’s public schools. She
has beer active in PpAs
and is a Deacon and Sun
day school teacher at
Myers Park Baptist
Church. She is immediate
past president of the Bap
tist Metropolitan Minis
tries.
Mr. Champion retired
from the Charlotte-Meek
lenburg school system this
summer after 3ft yean in
education. In addition to
working as a guidance spe
cialist in the public schools,
he has taught courses at
the Univenity of North
Carolina at Charlotte,
served two yean as a dean
at Central Piedmont Com
Jidy Bur Ricknhip
Continues Upward
Trend
Charlotte Transit System
(CT8) bus riderahtp con
tinued Its upward climb
with an increase of lO.Oft
percent or 53,028 more
riders as compared to July,
1979.
■wy. wi*.
riders used
express bus
munity College and direct
ed Project Spear, a sum
mer enrichment program
for low income youth.
Mr. Champion received
his B.A. from North Caro
lina AAT State University
and masters degrees in
Guidance and Counseling
in Industrial Education
from the University of
North Carolina at Chapel
Hill.
Mrs. Hamrick and Mr.
Champion were introduced
in their new roles Friday
night at a party given for
Kincaid by Mecklenburg
Commissioner Elizabeth
G.Hair
JCSU Summer Commencement
Exercise Will Be Held Saturday
«*VV viuiimioi Will*
mencement Exercises will
be at the University Church
on campus Saturday, Au
gust 9, at 10 a.m.
Forty students are ex
pected to graduate during
the ceremony. Guest
speaker win be the Rev.
Dr. Herman Edward
Thomas, professor of Afro
American k African Stu
dies at the University of
North Carolina at Char
lotte.
Thomas received his B.S.
degree from North Caro
lina AAT State University,
Greensboro; his B.D. de
gree and Th.M. degree
from Duke University Di
vinity School, Durham;
and later received his
PhD. from Hartford 8e
Dr. Herman E. Thomas
...Commencement speaker
minary Foundation, Hart
ford, Connecticut.
In addition to being the
author of a number of
publications pertaining to
black religious thinking,
understanding of religion,
and slavery, a no blacks m
American politics, Rev.
Thomas has been very
active in community ser
vice projects.
He has also received
many awards and honors,
including the Outstanding
Young Men in America
Award; named Who’s Who
in Black America several
times; and received the
plaque for Dedicated Ser
vice k Assistance to the
Black Student Union
Summer Commence
ments began at JCSU five
years ago when students
made the request of the
Administration. University
President, Dr. Wilbert
Sreenfield went along with
he request as a service to
itudents.
By holding summer com
w_
mencements. Dr. Green
field said students can
graduate the same year as
their classmates without
having to wait until the
next year's commence
ment; and said students
can reduce expenses by en
rolling in summer school
without having to attend
class a full session to com
plete a few additional
hours.
The number of students
graduating this summer is
up over last summer where
25 students received de
grees
Rev Thomas, a Bryson
City native, and hia wife
Julia live at M13 Crafta
bury Dr. with their three
children; Terence, Mau
rice and Katrina.
City Officials Invited
To Tour Blight Areas
Mrs. Chavis
To Address
Conference
By Eileen Hanson
Special To The Post
• Mrs. Elizabeth Chavis,
mother of civil rights ac
tivist Rev. Ben Chavis, will
deliver the keynote address
at the fourth anniversary
meeting of Concerned Wo
men For Justice, Saturday,
August 16 in Raleigh.
The day-long conference
will be held at the Shera
ton Highwoods Inn (US
Highway No. 1) from 9 a.m.
to 3:30 p.m. Registration
fee is 55., which includes
luncheon and materials.
Concerned Women for
Tlictipo ic a ctala
ganization concerned with
problems of women, minor
ities and prisoners in North
Carolina.
“We strive to promote
social and econbmic oppor
tunities through several
county chapters through
out the state,” said Pre
sident Angelia Phillips.
Madie White heads this
year’s conference planning
committee. For more in
formation, contact Ar
menta Eaton, 919-556-4375;
or in Charlotte, Jesse
McCombs, 377-3153.
Following Mrs. Chavis’
opening address, confer
ence DarticiDants will at
tend two of three work
shops: “Practical ap
proaches to Everyday Le
gal Problems,” “The Wo
man’s Role In Shaping the
Future,” and “The Plight
of Black Education in the
Future.”
This conference will be
beneficial to women who
are having problems, es
pecially N.C. mothers who
are struggling to help their
kids, said Jesse McCombs
whose son, John McCombs
Jr. is in Central Prison,
convicted of killing a man
who broke into his college
apartment 4 years ago.
The conference is open to
the public, both male and
female. Advance registra
tions may be sent to Con
cerned Women for Justice,
5 West Hargett St., Suite
910, Raleigh, N.C. 37601
CHARLOTTE YOUTHS WIN MARK CLARK AWARD I
ru Am r. *. i
..- ncureu vice Aam.
James B. Stockdale, president of The'
Citadel, presented the coveted Mark
Clark Award to Campers Todd Victor
Mason (left) and Jack Lee Mulligan
(center) during graduation exercises
concluding the second session of The
Citadel Summer Camp for Boys July 26
The Mark Clark Award is presented on
_^£_basisofexcellence_in_sports, physical
fitness, tournaments, manners and
attitude
A tenth-grade student at Myers Park
High School, Todd is the son of Mr.
Raymond and Mrs. Alfardretta M
Mason, 3934 Potomac Court Jack is in
the eighth grade at Carmel.Academy and
the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jack L. Mulligan,
3213 Mountainbrook Road.
Keport Outlines Piedmont
Courts Attendance Project
a report has just been
completed and forwarded
to the Superintendent out
lining the results of the
highly successful Piedmont
Courts Pilot Attendance
Project which was coor
dinated through the office
of Mrs. Elizabeth Randolph
who is Superintendent for
Program Services, and di
rected by Mrs. Bobbie
Toatley, School Work Spe
cialist.
The purpose of the pro
ject, which began Novem
ber, 1979 and ended June 6,
1980, was to demonstrate
that dramatically im
proved attendance and
school performance CAN
result from the mobiliza
tion of school and com
munity resources in a
planned, coordinated ef
fort.
Ten counselors and six
school social workers
worked with 176 students
trom all ten CMS higl
schools. Other full tim<
community staff in addi
tion to the CMS staff in
cluded two workers front
the Charlotte Housing Au
thority and a parent co
ordinator from the Char
lotte-Mecklenburg Youtl
Council. Eleven other com
munity agencies provider
continuous service to
families in the area in
eluding the Department 01
Social Services and the
Seigle Avenue Presbyte
rian Church.
The Piedmont Courts at
tendance area was choser
for this piliot project main
ly because of the hig>
absentee record of man)
students who live there, ir
addition to frequent com
plaints from residents
about school-aged childrer
being seen daily during
school hours.
At the start of the pro
ject, me ivb students were
absent 913 out of a possible
3,520 days - an average of
45.65 students absent 25.9
percent of the time.
In addition to improving
student attendance, a num
ber of side benefits were
gained through the project
including the formation of
two on-going parent groups
which meet weekly at the
Piedmont Courts Learning
Center to discuss mutual
problems and to learn
parenting skills. Topics in
clude promotion, retention,
and placement policies of
the school system, positive
and negative reinforce
ment of behavior; present
functioning of the Juvenile
Court Counselors, school
rules as related to attend
ance, parental responsibi
lity; money management
and self-awareness
It is also important that
two high school completion
classes for |> .rents were
formed as an off-shoot of
the program, with instruc
tors from CPCC meetine
with parents at the pro
ject’s leai mng center twin
a week for instructions
The recommendation tc
the Superintendent is that,
because of the obvious
effectiveness and success
of this trial program, it be
continued during the
coming year in order to
better sustain the im
proved attendance pattern
which has been begun by
the students involved
The CMS staff people
were from moat of the high
schools. Also involved in
the pi j«ct were two CETA
workt. s from the Charlotte
Housing Authority, a
pa.^i.. coordinator from
the Charlotte Mecklenburg
Y* uth Council, two com
munity workers from the
Seigle Avenue Presbyte
ran fbu-ch, the Youth
.'vervicea Bureau. 11 agen
ciea providing direct ser
I to residents of the
Ptaibnunt Court* area
Invitation
Rejected
By Susan Ellsworth
Post Staff Writer
..Plaza Hills and Villa
Heights neighborhood
groups Monday demanded
Chris Griffin, director of
the city's Community Im
provement Division, tour
their area’s vacant lots
with them.
Griffin agreed to either
come himself of send a
representative, but has
since rejected the invita
tion without explanation
according to a Carolina
Action spokesman, and
was unavailable for com
»»*VUV ai pi raa iiiuv
“We're tired of being put
off and put down.” says one
member of the neighbor
hood group affiliated with
Carolina Action.
“Those lots are a real
hazard. Rats and snakes
breed in them and come
into our homes No one
likes to live next to a field
of weeds and trash.'1
Griffin's department is
charged with ensuring that
vacant lots are kept clean.
City inspectors by law
are supposed to request the
owner clean his pro
perty. If he doesn't do the
cleanup, the city will do it
and then fine the owner $10
a day for every day the lot
has grown messy again
The fine is not enforced
and the city has not cleaned
the property, a CA spokes
man remarked
Last November the Com
munity Division promised
to see that 20 neighborhood
lots were cleaned, accord
ing to Carolina Action
MSny of the lots, which
the city had cleaned, have
degenerated into eyesores
again. The group also
found 15 more vacant lots
\JUhirh fm nnrc onrl IL,. ,1,.
partment have ignored, a
spokesman said
Inspector Ed Lewis and
79 to 100 neighborhood re
presentatives will attend
the tour Thursday, August
7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Park
wood CME Church at the
corner of Parkwood Ave
and Allen Street.
Six hundred homes are
affected by lots in the Plaza
Hills and Villa Heights
area.
Kincaid Open*
“Neighborhood
Week"
Kandall Kincaid ninth
district Democratic candi
date for Congress opened
"Neighborhood Week”
with a picnic Sunday night
at the Summer Pops con
cert at Freedom Park
Neighborhood leaders and
their families were invited
to join Kincaid and his
f* A t L -
r r ‘vi w u> »»iv pui r\ .
Kincaid has been dis
cussing neighborhood and
family issues throughout
the week as his "Issue of
the Week" series con
tinues
The candidate will ap
pear at the Junior Dairy
Show at the Iredell County
Fairgrounds in Troutman
on Thursday, at «:30 p m.
He will host a party
Friday at 6 p m. f%r the
precinct organization.
While attending the Dil
worth Jubilee Saturday,
from noon-4 p.ip , Kincaid
will appear or W Speak
er's Comer df 3 p.m. ip
Latta Park. v