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THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday, July 3, 1986 Price : 40 Cents
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Rose Critteftdon
.Mother of three
By Jalyne Strong
Post Staff Writer
This week’s beauty is Rose
Crittendon who arrived in Charlotte
two years ago from her hometown of
Detroit, Mich. She came here with
her husband Gilbert, after he’d
taken an administrative job at the
University of North Carolina at
Charlotte. Rose knew nothing about
North Carolina or Charlotte before
she arrived. Her husband only
described the Queen City as a "well
kept secret.”
“I love it,” Is the first thing Rose
has to say about Charlotte now that
she’s been hen for awhile. “The city
is not too big and not too small. It’s
not crowded. The weather is great
and there are a lot of opportunities
here.”
Charlotte Is a big contrast to
; Rose’s naUve city where, she
explains, “Employment is mooo
; jpolized by General Motors and
there’s high unemployment and
crime. Plus the weather is horrible
in Detroit."
; Roee admits that before she came
here, all she knew about North
Carolina was "army bases.’’ She
didn’t believe she’d like the move
. that much. However, she’s been
^{pleasantly surprised
Not only has she found a home in
! Charlotte but Roee has also found a
promising career in Hotel Manage
ment. Relates Rose, “Hotels seem to
be the thing in Charlotte I felt if I
got into this field rd meet people and
know what’s going on in Ike city."
Roee first worked for the Park
Hotel. Today she to an account
executive for ^
Hotel located downtown. “I handle
transient denis for rooms wgfc
corporations, ” Roee explicates This
job baa proven to be an
opportunity to meet many interest
ing P®ople, according to Rose
She’s also Anting it to be "an
The beat way to know dot to to.
love many things
'‘S* A 1 Wl1 J VcA L -Hv ■ A ■ . i ...
adventure and a challenge.”
“You have to be able to get along
well with people,” says Rose,
pointing out a criteria of being in
the “service, people-oriented”
business of hotels. The fact that
Rose is self-described as “an out
going person with good communica
tion skills” gives some clue why
she’s chosen this type of profession.
For leisure this week’s beauty
enjoys singing. “Everyone from
Detroit thinks they can sing,”
laughs Rose. It’s no wonder since the
Motortown has produced such
musical greats as Stevie Wonder,
Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson and
also reminds Rose, "Anita Baker,
who I’m going to see in Charlotte on
July 5.” So Rose is going to try to
bring a little of Detroit’s magic to
Charlotte. “I’m trying out for a part
in the production of ‘Ain’t
Misbehavin’’ at the Charlotte Little
Theatre," she tells.
For fun (and a little profit) Rose
also enjoys playing bingo with
friends. She likes music, especially
Jan But mostly, Rose and her
family enjoy riding around
Charlotte and watching the city’s
growth. "Every weekend I have
people, friends and family, from
Detroit to come and visit,” com
mento Rose. She loves to show the
city off to her visitors before she
coaxes them to relocate here. So far,
she’s been doing a good Job at it. Her
sister and one friend have already
arrived to stay. About other people
who she's having a hard time
convincing to give Charlotte a try,
Rose muses, “They think they’re
going to come down here and like it
and have to move.”
When Rose does have out-of
town guests, she has a houseful since
she’s the mother of three
children: LaToya, seven, Ebony,
five, and Gilbert II, two years old.
Yet Rose assures, “The children are
a lot of help. They’re real good
kids.” They are, however, having to
adjust to the move to Charlotte
"They miss their grandmother,"
Rose reveals.
This newly Charlotte-based hotel
executive says she visits Detroit
every chance she gets. Though the
city is experiencing some repres
sion, Rose still misses some of its
attractions, such as its ethnic
concerts and its close proximity to
Canada, where Rose often visited.
Nonetheless, she’s still found a
home in Charlotte and for the future
Rose hopes, “More black people,
especially women, will progress
with some of the 208 Fortune 500
companies that are located here
And I hope they continue to plan for
growth in Charlotte."
To Rose, the best advice in the
world is "take chances. Be
aggressive, make good decisions but
take chances," she stresses
Hart To Be Guest Speaker Of Reunion
One of the many highlights of the
second tri-annual reunion at Want
Charlotte High School Ahum* is
Jamas Biscuit" Hart
Friday availing banquet which
begins at 7 p m
The renal oc is being held at
Adam’s Marie, MS. S. McDowell tt.
A graduate of West, Charlotte Hart
has worked for the city attorney’s
office ia D.C. since im and
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filar*, u * staff attorney, he
became as advocate attorney tor the
poor.
Other positions at Hart's include
being the manager at the Urban
Affairs Council at the Omaha
Chamber at Commerce, where he
cwveiopea ow i y
Development Center He has also
worked on behalf of the United
Negro College Fund, NAACP and
Head Start.
Hart, a graduate of the University
of Maryland and a member of
several boards, should be an
inspiration to all who hear him this
weekend
In addition to the banquet West
Charlotte's Itinerary includes
registration on Thursday. July !»,
from >4 p.m. and from M p m
After registration ends, there will be
an informal get-together at the
National Hospitality Room, Marker
Suite No. IMS.
Registration continues on the
fourth from t:M a.m. until u:»
a m. At noon a luncheon will be held
in the Mecklenburg Ballrcxun
On Saturday, July 5, individual
darn meetings wfll be hold from t
a m. until tt:lS a m., afterwNch the
general class reunion meet]mi
will taka place at the Carolina
Ballroom. Alumni wtO tour West
Charlotte High School and take a
group picture at noon. Later that
evening the mmion dance will be
held at the Carolina Ballroom
Closing activities will take place
on Sunday, July 6 Rev Stanley
Crawford of Wilson Heights Church
of Christ who will deliver the
sermon at Latta Plantation Park
Following the morning worship a
reunion picnic will be held
Barber-Scotia
Holds Reunion
In Charlotte
The Barber-Scotia College Natio
nal Alumni Association will have iU
first time reunion of all graduates of
Barber-Scotia on July »-« at Adam’s
Mark Hotel In Charlotte
Grand Reunion T» offers three
days of exciting activities for
retiming alumni, their families and
Wends, said Ed Beat, needy elected
preaidant of the national association
For further information on the
Grand Reunion, contact the BSC
Office of Alumni Affairs, 704
**171, between l:» a m. and S
p m weekdays
More Serious Than Ever
Sickle Cell Crisis Grows
New York - “America faces the
most serious sickle cell disease
crisis since we have been tracking
this blood disorder," said Dick
Campbell, Executive
Director of The Sickle Cell Disease
Foundation of Greater New York.
Campbell said: “There is an
urgent need to inform the American
public, and especially young blacks,
about the dangers to themselves and
to their families. One out of every 10
black Americans is a carrier of the
sickle cell trait, compared to one out
of 12 blacks five years ago and the
ratio is continuing to rise.”
Campbell said that one out of 500
blacks actually suffers from sickle
cell anemia, a frequently painful,
and at present, incurable disease.
“The crisis has come about," said
Cambell, who has been active in
fighting the disease since 1967,
“because of both the steady pro
gression of the disease and the
lessening of interest in the fight
against it by much of the American
Cflnpoefl added: "The progres
sion of the disease and the lessen
ing of interest have combined to
reduce the overall public awareness
about sickle cell disease. This has
led many persons to erroneously
believe that since they heard very
little about the problem of sickle cell
disease, the disease was no longer a
major problem.”
In addition, Campbell stated that
“many whites have the mistaken
belief that sickle cell disease affects
only black Americans and Africans
The fact is that it also affects black
and non-black people in Latin
America, Asia, and the Caribbean as
well as the people living in the area
of the Mediterranean Sea.”
There is no known cure for sickle
cell disease at present, he added,
noting that the present hope is that
genetic research will develop a cure.
Campbell said that former Presi
dent Nixon, in his State of the Union
Address in 1972, warned of the
dangers of sickle cell anemia and
announced a grant of $5 million for
research on the disease. Campbell
wired Mr. Nixon on that occasion
that the grant was “too little and too
late ” Later that same year the U S
Congress set aside an additional $125
million for research for a five year
period. Since then, Campbell said,
Children Fight Sickle Cell Anemia - Scores of predominantly
black and Hispanic youngsters from Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Public School
316, recently joined hands, circled their school and sang the words,
“children helping children, hand in hand, to fight sickle cell," to the tune
of the song, “Hands Across America." More than 25,000 pupils In
Brooklyn's School District 17 joined this demonstration.
‘‘there have been no major public
nor private grants for sickle cell
research, despite the steady pro
gression of the disease.”
"The truth is that sickle cell
disease is not restricted to black
Americans, it did not go away and it
has not been cured - sickle cell
disease is threatening our people
today like never before,” he added
The dramatic increase in teenage
pregnancies among blacks is a
contributing factor since teenagers
will frequently have neither the op
portunity nor the inclination to
secure information on a sexual
partner’s blood chemistry
“The fact is, many young blacks of
marrying age have not been
sufficiently warned of the dangers of
sickle cell disease ” Campbell
noted
Statistics show that if two
people who have the sickle cell trait
have children, there is at least a 25
percent chance in each pregnancy
that they will produce offspring with
the disease. If only one parent has
the trait, there is a 50 percent chance
that offspring will be carriers of the
disease. If one parent has the
disease, all the offspring will be
carriers
Campbell and a staff of volunteers
provide information and counseling
for victims of the disease and their
families from their office at 209 West
125th St , New York. NY 10027
City Of Charlotte Sells $55 Million Worth Of Bonds
The City of Charlotte has sold *55
million in general obligation bonds
and had its AAA credit rating
reaffirmed by two national agen
cies. Charlotte voters approved the
funds to be used for public build
ing, street, transportation and
water improvements
City Manager Wendell White, in
announcing the sale of the bonds,
commented that, "The low bond
rate, which exceeded our expeo
tations, puts Charlotte in a very
favorable position I believe that our
AAA credit rating, sound munici
pal management and aggressive
financial position have paid off This
rate represents the lowest rate on a
City of Charlotte bond sale in over
six years "
Two national rating agencies.
Moody's and Standard and Poors,
reaffirmed Charlotte's credit
rating "The City's fundamental
strengths and economic prominence
provide the basis for the prime
quality rating," commented a
spokesman from Moody's
"This excellent rating reflects the
combined strength of the Charlotte
economy and the overall manage
ment of our local government
These rating agencies recognize the
important accomplishments of
public investments that have posi
tioned Charlotte favorably in the
current economic environment,"
says City Finance Director Doug
Carter
The interest rate on the *55
million bond package was 6 99 per
cent This rate is the lowest rate
since February, 1990 When com
pered with the 30-Municipal Bond
Byers Index (equivalent to an A
rating) published the same day as
Charlotte's bond sale, Charlotte’s
bond rate was 10.5 percent leas. This
represents approximately |3.5
million In savings to the City over
the. life of the bonds
Charlotte has had a AAA credM
rating since 1*71