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Honors
On Clyde Brown
Story On Page 17A
Brown
Tamara Ford
~Harding High senior
vely Tamara Ford
Right Qualifications
Life ta fragile ... handle with
prayer.
A true musician, Tamara has also
played the piano for six years. Her
ability on the keys earned her first
place at the Omega Psi Phi piano
recital in 1983. Unfortunately,
Tamara projects she’ll be giving up
the piano next year. “I want to
concentrate on my studies and just
playing the clarinet," she ex
plains
Tamara describes herself as
"talkative, understanding and out
going.” Maybe these personal cha
racteristics assisted her in garner
ing two other awards. In 1983, she
was runner-up in the Zeta Phi Beta
"Miss Blue Revue” contest, then,
this year, Tamara became the 1985
winner, based on raising the most
money for the organization’s scho
larship program.
8ee Story On Page UA
“Commitments To Their Church” Reason
Given For Participating In CWOY Contest
By Loretta Manago
. Foot Staff Writer
Shopping sprees, gift certificates
from various businesses in the dty
and a luxurious trip to the Baha
mas aren’t the only reasons that
seme contestants have decided to
enter the Post’s “Churchworker of
the Year" contest. A (-JT
For contsstanU like Lucille John
■on of Matthewi-MurkJand Preshy
terian Church. Brand* Prince of
Greater Bethel AME Zion Church,
Bessie Marshall of Pleasant HU1
Baptist Church, Brenda Wall of
Antioch Baptist Church and Mollie
M^otwan, Memorial AME
p*Ung In this year’s contes^have
much to do with thetr commitments
to their churchee. .
"My participation in the contest
rmlly stems from my desire to give
Matthews Murkiand some recog
nition. I’d like to help in that aspect
I feel this it a good way to get people
to know that Matthews Murkiand if'
a unique place to worship," uttemd
Mrs Johnson. Sha added: "i m not
Since Mrs Johnson chosen
"Mother of the Yagr" at her
church, she was me natural te
IBM Funds Urban Leag ue
Youth Summer Work Program
special 10 me h-ost
The IBM Corporation has en
abled the Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Urban League to establish a special
summer work and education pro
gram for disadvantaged youth with
a gift of $25,000, Robert M. Alston,
League Executive Director an
nounced.
The eight week summer program
will give classroom instruction and
on-the-job experience to 18 voca
tional education students who attend
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public High
Schools and live in low-income
neighborhoods.
The Program provides basic skills
enrichment (English, Reading and
Math) and teaches work and liv
ing skills. It also is designed to
stimulate the student’s interest in
word processing and information
systems careers.
Mayor Harvey Gantt, hailed the
Program as an unusual opportunity
for the Charlotte students. “We have
some human service organiza
tions that provide skill instruction to
high school students during the
summer, but none offers this com
bination of education, work experi
■eneer-as^well as exposure to Jbb
opportunities.
“The Urban League and IBM ha e
opened up an opportunity for some
Charlotteans who have had few ad
vantages, and it comes at the right
time. During the next three years,
we expect some 7,000 new jobs-in
Charlotte-Mecklenburg that will re
quire wood processing and informa
tion systems skills. This Program
will show the students opportuni
ties they might not Jiave seen them
Robert Pence: 66Bank Robbers Are Not Breadwinners”
By Audrey C. Lodato
Pool Staff Writer
As of mid-May, there have been 14
bank robberies in Charlotte this
year. Statewide, the number is 50.
According to Robert Pence, Special
Agent in Charge of the F.B.I.’s
Charlotte field office, these figures
represent both an increase and a
decrease: statewide, the number of
bank robberies is up over the same
period last year; but in Charlotte,
the figure is down.
Part of Charlotte’s decrease, said
Pence, seems to be attributable to
the fact that, last year, the “Goateed
Robber” and a few others were
responsible for multiple robberies.
Marshall
/.'..Wiirti te bivalve youth
lecMon for the contest.
/ The experience of psrtlctpetlng In
r « contest of this ceUber Is eU Brenda
Prince is hoping to gain from the
contest. "Ithbk it wiUbe a greet ex
perience to learn more about the
newspaper. My family receives the
Poet at home, but because of my
studies, t don’t get to read it as
thoroughly as I’d Bke to,” com
mented Ms. Prince.
rsy Ty ■ v*.
Mayor Harvey Gantt
.Hails the program
selves.”
Alston pointed out that the Pro
gram will strongly encourage the
students to complete high school, to
plan tor their futures, and to con
sider careers in business. ~
“We want to expose the students to
a downtown working environment,"
said Donald Bowen, Director of the
Center. “We want them to under
stand the need to get to work on
time; to become comfortable as
sociating with business people;
and see the variety of job possibi
lities.”
Alston said that students interest
ed in the Urban League Summer
Program, should apply in person
Donald Bowen
. ....Director of center
before May 29 at the City of
Charlotte Employment and Training
Department, 600 East Trade St.,
City Hall Annex.
The Job Training Center, which
opened late last year, offers simi
lar programs during the school year
for non-students. The Center is ad
ministered by the Urban League and
is funded by the City of Charlotte,
IBM and 28 other businesses in the
Charlotte area.
“This Center brings together the
best of City government and the best
of the private business sector,”
Gantt said when the Center was
announced last September.
Factors such as the economy and
hard times have nothing to do with
the incidence of bank robbery,” he
revealed. Bank robbers, typically,
are not “breadwinners” and the act
of bank robbery is not done out of
“desperation," according to the
F.B.I, Special Agent. “Very few are
doing it to feed their families," he
declared.
Rather, in the past few years, the
typical bank robber is a male, 24-26
years old, of average height and
medium weight, who has either
robbed a bank before or has a
history of involvement in other vio
lent ciime, such as armed robbery
of a convenience store. Most are
either under the influence of drugs
at the time of the robbery or are
perpetrating the crime to feed their
drug habit. "The primary motive,"
Pence attested, "is to get money for
drugs.”
Why has bank robbery in the state
increased? Pence isn't sure. “It's
something that's caught on,” he
remarked The phenomenon, actual
ly, is based on myth: that “banks
are where the money’s at” and that
bank robbers don’t get caught
Regarding the notion that banks
are easy money, Pence noted that
the average “take” in a bank rob
bery is only *2-$3,000, even when the
larger heists are included. Often, the
A junior at Garlngfer High School,
Ms. Prince joined the contest after
hearing about it from her mother
. Bessie hfsrahall makes it plain
that the grand prize is not what she
just think that if some
my group can accomplish
something, the effort will have been
jWorthwhile I also want the young
people on my committee to become
involved," explained Mrs. Marshall
Although Mrs. Marshall is not
certain as to how she was selected as
the contestant from her church, she
said that she “was willing to par
ticipate."
In Mrs. Wall’s opinion it's impor
tant for Mack people to support the
black press. "Black people should
support the black preaa. 1 feel that
that’s our responsibility A lot of
people sg around ahd complain
when they browse through the Mack
paper and they don’t see someone
that they think should bo In the
paper. What I don’t understand la
how can It get in the paper if nobody
tella the black preaa about It? We
(Macks) buy the Charlotte Observer
without any second thoughts and I
think that Macks should support the
Mack paper without any sacsnd
thoughts." vt j w
Mrs Wall feels that her active
ness in the Youth Missionary is what
led her to being selected by her
minister as the contestant for
Antioch.
As a person who responds to her
minister’s call Mrs. Mollie Massey's
goals for the contest are simple. “I
would love to win the trip,’’ she
exclaimed
Now that these five ladies have
accepted the responsibility that this
contest entails, their next move is to
develop the perfect strategy that
will lead them to the top of their
categories
Mrs. Johnson’s first move was to
formulate a committee "Right now
I’m in the process of selecting a
committee of 10 people I feel very
strongly that each of them will give
100 percent. Personally,! think that
in order to be successful In this
contest you have lo be aggressive,
challenging, hard working and sin
cere," replied Mrs. Johnson She is
active as the Clerk of Sessions and is
the mother of three children
Although the contest doesn’t for
mally begin until Monday, May ft,
Miss Prince believes that an early
start ia an advantageous weapon.
"I've already started asking people
See CONTESTANTS On Page «A
Robert Alston
.Executive director
Ronald Terpak, General Manager
for the IBM Plant and Laboratory in
Charlotte, noted that the Charlotte
Mecklenburg Urban League was one
of 20 chosen among almost 70 appli
cants for summer program grants.
“We are very pleased that the
IBM Corporation selected the Char
lotte Center to receive a grant for
this summer program.'' said Ter
pak. "We want to share our suc
cess with our community in every
possible way."
Terpak noted that IBM has been
involved around the country since
1968 in establishing Job Training
Programs for the disadvantaged.
robber gets only a few hundred
dollars. With today's bank proce
dures, explained Pence, not much
money is available at the teller
windows.
As to the chance of getting away
with the crime, don’t bet on it. Most
bank robbers are caught. Of last
year's 109 bank robberies statewide,
more than 80 percent have already
been solved. So far this year, the
solution rate is 70-75 percent, which
is a very high rate for this early in
the years," Pence noted Normally,
the percentage of bank robberies
solved increases with time
"It's not a difficult crime for us to
handle and solve," Pence pointed
out, "but it is difficult to deter."
Part of the reason for the rela
tive ease with which this type of
crime is solved is what Pence re
ferred to as the "tremendous law
enforcement response; all levels
converge at once ” (The F B I be
comes involved in any bank rob
bery of a federally chartered or
insured institution ) In addition to
police response, other factors in
clude good physical evidence, net
works of sources and informants,
and cooperative citizens This is one
crime that is "stacked against the
perpetrator,” emphasized Pence
The penalty isn't to be taken
lightly, either. As a federal of
fense, armed robbery carries a 25
year prison sentence
Last year, 75-80 percent of the
bank robberies committed in North
Carolina were armed Nationwide,
however, the rate is only $0 per
cent. Pence attributed this to the
"southern phenomena of having
more violence than the rest of the
country.”
Although most robbers are
caught, the money they stole Is not
always recovered According to
Pence, money is difficult to track
and identify. It is usually Spent in
•uch a way that it cannot be re
covered. Although property bought
with stolen money can be seised,
property "in kind" cannot be. In
other words, if a bank robber stole
91,000, only that money or property
bought with it can be recovered,
property valued at the amount, but
bought with other mensy, cannot be
seised