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Special Section/Pages 14A A ISA
Celebrates
Gantt For Mayor
National, State, and local poli
ticians will be among the 600 peo
ple expected to attend 'A Celebra
tion of tha Candidacy of Mayor
Harvey B. Gantt" to be held at the
Marriott City Center Friday, Oc
tober 2,7:80 p.m. until 10 p.m.
The guest list includes Sena
tor Terry Sanford, Thurgood
.Marshall Jr., and a few of the
1988 presidential candidates.The
general public ie also invited to
pay tribute to Gantt and contribute
' at this fund raiser.
- Tn* Celebration" is presented
by several Charlotte community
members, including George
Shinn, Dr. 8purgeon Webber IQ,
Marriott City Center is to* .
cated at 100 W. Trade St. Ticket
price fir the tribute to Gantt is $30.
■: — ■
CJVL Odom Joins L
Cl_M_II - flJ ,,/f
samaras stall
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Claude
M. Odom, formally the director of
admiesione and etudont aotlvitiec
at Roanoke Chowan Technical
Collate, has Joined Senator Terry
Santod'a North CnroUnn etaff as
SOaVlcas rApTAMOtA*
tive.
"Clauds has excellent credential*
and a wide-range of experience,
andhe will make an excellent addi
tion to our staff," Sanford said.
Tm pleased to hare him with us."
A native of Oates County, Odom
now lives in Harralaville and haa
boon a member of the Hertford
County Comndaelonera since 1984.
HealaeisameaDber of the N.C. As
sociation of County Commieaion
ere Agribusiness Economy Steer
ing Committee, the board of the
Chowan Area Development Asso
ciation, and the board of the Hert
ford County Social Social Sendees.
He also Is pastor of the First Bap
tist Church, Kalibrd, N.C. Before
joining Sanford's staff, Odom was
direeter sf admissions and student
activities at Reanoko Chowan ,
Technics] Colleys.
He has degrees from Roanoke
Chowan Technical Colleys and a
bachelor of science degree in busi
ness administration from Shaw
University. He alee la working to
ward a master's degree from N.C.
State University. The U.8. Jay cess
named him an Outstanding Young
Mao In America in 1081. Odom
■pant three Years in the UJ. Army,
tnclnfong a Year in Vietnam.
Faces Suspension
By Jalyne Strong
Bm*
"I can't understand why the
school administrators are fight
ing with my parents. They ha
ven't done anything ryrong,"
says 14-year-old Derek Barnes.
Derek, a top student, who has
excelled in academics, school
sports and other extra curricular
activities, has lately become con
founded by his school experiences
at McClintock Junior High
School.
First, last year, after he had
met all the obvious criteria for
earning a place in his school's
charter of the National Junior
Honor Society, he was denied in
clusion without a valid explana
tion.
Now, he's facing in-school
suspension (IS-S)for defending
himself against another student
who assaulted him.
Dereks parents, Richard and
Mamie Barnes, expended a lot of
time and energy to find out why
their son was denied membership
in the NJHS. They went as far as
taking the issue before the Char
lotte-Mecklenburg School Board
and having the NAACP investi
gate the matter.
Now they are embroiled in an
other battle with MoClintock's
administration, trying to keep
their son from getting suspended.
If Derek is suspended, he 1s au
tomatically kicked-off the
rvWbQpl'Ji Executive £oun*il pond he
loess the opportunity to try to make
the NJHS this year.
"It's not fair," claims Derek.
The incident prompting the
suspension was a "scuffle" be
tween Derek and another young
man at McClintock. Derek ex
plains that his classmate had
been provoking him for approxi
mately a week. "I told him I
wasn't going to fight him and get
Derek Barne* has always been a good student and he cant understand
why his school administrators are treating him unfairly.
kicked off the Executive Coun
cil," says Derek.
Finally in a first period class
last week, Derek relates, the other
student shoved him. Derek hit
him back. The student hit Derek
again. The teacher told the boys to
stop and took them to the Assistant
Principal's office. .• v
V
Once there, the teacher, Mrs.
Richardson, explained to Mrs.
Iris Battle, the assistant princi
pal, what had happened. Derek
says, "Mrs. Battle asked for a re
ferral ( a form needed for IS-S)
and Mrs. Richardson said she
didn't think one was needed be
cause we were both good students
and we stopped fighting when she
said stop. Mrs. Battle then gave us
three days cafeteria duty for a
punishment and we left the of
fice."
The boys served the first day of
their punishment that afternoon.
However, by three o'clock when
Derek's mother called the school,
Battle informed Mrs. Barnes that
she had changed the punishment
•5^0 IS’3. irnf** _
Battle has been asked to con
firm whether this was exactly
what happened but she replied she
had no comment.
The Barneses did speak with
Battle and the other boy involved
in the altercation. They say he
admitted to provoking Derek and
hitting him first. They asked
Battle why Derek was being sus
pended for defending himself.
They've also asked why was the
punishment changed.
McClintock Principal James
Cockerham would only say that
McClintock has a H hard, fast"
rule that students involved in
fighting will be suspended.
The Bameses have appealed the
suspension. They've hired attor
ney Prank Emery to represent
them in a hearing, before Area
Superintendent Sam Haywood,
scheduled for Tuesday, October 6.
Derek believes this latest occur
rence at McClintock is directly
related to the problems his parents
had with the school about the
NJHS. He has never faced in
school-suspension before. "And, I
don't think it's fair my parents
have to spend their money on an
attorney to help me get fair and
equal treatment in school," says
Derek.
Arthur Griffin, former mem
ber of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg
School Board, also believes Der
ek's being treated unjustly in
light of this suspension.
"If the facts are true that the boy
assaulted Derek, then the one who
has the personal guilt should be
the one punished. There's no oth
er way to respond," says Griffin.
"A school's policy for fighting
is not de
signed to pun
ish the vic
tim. That
goes against
, fundamental
fairness and
due process,"
continues
Griffin. "In
society at
large we
don't punish
Griffin
someone unless they have person
al guilt. And in our Constitution
See Derek On Pag* 2A
Fuller Takes N.C. Small Business Award
By Herb White
—* at . jrTir n
After 25 ^eers of Wkuggle as an
independent businessman,
Charles Fuller of Fayetteville has
worked hard to be where he ia to
day.
And today, the owner of Fuller
Oil Company, Inc. is the 1987
North Carolina Minority Small
Business Person of. the Year.
Fuller, 65, started his company
in 1982 from $28,000 in savings
and benefits he accumulated with
his wife Evelyn.
“It waa very difficult,” Fuller
recollects. "At the time I was 30
years old and I was working at
the VA hospital."
With two 6,000 gallon storage
tanks, a used delivery truck and
himself as the only employee,
Fuller ran his petroleum dealer
ship from his home before his
wife asked him to find a more
suitable location.
“She made me leave because
she didn't have any privacy,” he
* ft 1 u. k
Fuller Oil now employe 14 peo
ple, including Evelyn, who
works in the accounting depart
ment. Puller credits Me wifc with
supporting Mm when business
wasn't booming.
"We worked very hard, my
wife and I," ha said. "We
watched our Amds very closely."
Ones the equipment was in
place, a gasoline supplier had to
be found. The Payetteville
Cumberland County market was
cut off because an established
competitor had the contract of a
major wholesaler. Poller went
Instead to a Wilmington supplier
who sold Mm gasoline in small
quantities at a higher pries.
With the high seat of running
the business and the national en
ergy erieis in the 1970e, Puller
participated in the Small Busi
ness Administration Procure
ment Assistance Program from
1975 to 1984.
During those years, Puller Oil
revenuee took off, increasing
from about $500,000 per year to
over $10,000,000. Most of the com
pany’s business now comes from
municipalities and the federal
government through bids to sup
ply petroleum.
In 1982, Puller started a gas
station convenience store to in
crease commercial sales.
Fuller's firm has expanded op
erations recently, with two new
convenient stores and has a fran
chise for the distribution of Petro
Pina Oil and related products for
Cumberland County. A transpor
tation company has also been
formed and is a common carrier
to haul petroleum products for oth
er oil companies.
Running • buainaaa ia hard
work, but Fuller revealed Wa for
mula for aucceea.
"You have to have good mar
keting, pay the bills on time and
have faith in a »u peri err being," he
aald.
Charles Foliar of Fayetteville (left) is awarded a plaque deolaring
him N.C. Minority Small Busina as Person of the Year from Gary
1 District Director of the UA Small Business Administration
Wednesday at Johnson C. ftaltt.
Equal Rights Director To Visit Charlotte
. The Executive Director of the
National Equal Rights Congress
will be the keynote speaker at a
special dinner in his honor (b be
held Friday, October », sponsored
by the Charlotte EJR.C. chapter.
nacne uonzaies, a 20-year vete
ran of the dvfl rights struggle, will
speak at the Greenville Center,
1880 Spring Street, following a
bufht dinner at 7-JO PM. Reserva
tions far the dinner are requested
fay calling 872-9678 or 888-4007.
"Equality and Justice for All:
How Do Ws 8tand After 200 Years
T will be the theme of Gonzales'
address, which will highlight the
struggles of minorities today
around the country, with special
focus on the South.
"As we commemorate 200 years
at tha U.8. Constitution, it'a tima to
taka stock of where minorities
stand in this country and why wa
ara (being increased attacks on our
civil rights and our living stan
dards," said Gonzales, who is cur
rently on a Southern Tour.
As Executive Director of the Na
tional B.R.C. since 1980, Qontales
baa spearheaded tha national cam
. paign to free Mayor Eddie James
Carthan and 8 other black officials
in Tchula, Mississippi. Last year
haled the E.R.C. in raising $20,000
on behalf of tha Alabama Black
Balt Defense Committee in support
of voting rights activists victimised
by tha Justice Deportment
- Currently his organisation ia
leading efforts in tha Southwest
against abuses of Immigration
■gents against undocumented
Mexican workers and their fami
lies.
Since its formation in 1976, the
Equal Rights Congress has been in
the forefront of issues facing mi
nority communities, including po
lice brutality, the Ku Klux Klan ae
tivity, voting rights, quality inte
grated education, low-income
housing, and immigration. Local
E.R.C. chapters have established
themselves through the South, the
Southwest, the Midwest end on the
West Coast
Tha Charlotte E.R.C., aatabliahad
la 1971, haa lad local antt-Klan af
forta, worked to free tha Wllmin*
toa 10 and Charlotte S, advocated
Jolyn Robichaux
Featured W.B.O.
Women business owners from
North and South Carolina will
gather in Charlotte October 5-6 for
the third annual Women Business
Owners Conference of the Caroli
nes.
The Conference, which will be
held at the Adam's Mark Hotel in
Uptown Charlotte, will feature na
tional and local business experts
from a variety of fields to conduct
seminars, workshops and speak on
topics that will help women busi
ness owners become established
and expand their businesses.
Successful business owners
from North and South Carolina
will participate on panels and lead
workshops on management tech
niques, marketing concepts, em
ployee selection, computers, public
relations and employment law,"
says Fay Skidmore (Mecklenburg
County Women's Commission),
who chairs the WBO Conference
committee. "We have publishers,
personnel consultants and other
business owners scheduled to
share their insights and accom
plishments with conference partic
ipants."
Skidmore said that conference
goers would also get to hear three
nationally recognized speakers: Jo
Foxworth, Jolyn H. Robichaux
and Jeanne Robertson. Foxworth
is president of a New York Adver
tising Agency and author of "Boss
Lady" and "Wishing Up." She will
speak the morning of October 5. |
Robichaux is president, CEO and
owner of "Chicago's Baldwin Ice
Cream Company, the only black
owned and operated ice cream
company in the country dealing in
wholesale and retail sales. She will
address the conference at lunch on
October 5. At Tuesday’s luncheon,
the featured speaker will be
Jeanne Robertson, a professional
speaker and humorist. She grew
up and lives in North Carolina, and
in 1984 was named by Quote
magazine as one of the "Ten Most
Quotable Humorists in America.
Pat O'Connor (Mary Ryder Real
ty), chair of the WBO Conference
advisory committee, said that
many organizations and business
es have given financial support to
the organization. They include the
Women Business Owners Associa
tion, NCNB, Touchberry & Assoc.,
Castleberry & Co., Ethan Allen Gal
leries, The Lyerly Agency, Harris
Teeter and Mary Ryder Realty.
For registration information,
contact the Charlotte Chamber at
704-378-1332. _
Main Library
Temporarily
Relocated
As part of the new Library con
struction project which began July
1,1987, the Charlotte Main Library
at 310 North Tryon Street will
cloae for at least a year of extensive
renovation, beginning Monday,
October 5. A temporary Main Li
brary for essential services will
open at 425 South Tryon Street
(the former Sterchi's building) on
Monday, October 12.
The temporary library will house
reference and business services,
film pick-up, and the Carolina
Room collection of local historical
materials.