^ 1
Teaching
Charlotte To
Read Up/6.
Afro Center
Director Plans
For Future/1 B
The Post And
Coke Honor
Top Seniors/lC
Charlotte Bostt
Volume 19, No. 39
THURSDAY MAY 13,1993
50 Cents
Clark
om Charlotte
Rst Of The World.
Incubator Gets
New Assistant
Gwen
Clark has
Joined the
West Char
lotte Busi
ness Incu
bator as
assistant to
executive
director
Laura
McClettle.
Clark as
sisted the
Incubator through her com
pany, MGL Employment
Agency before her appoint
ment. Her key professional
skills are in oillce adminis
tration, interactive man
agement and training.
Save The Seed
Golf Tourney
Golfers have a chance to
help Save The Seed.
The mentoring/
educational organization
will sponsor a golf tourna
ment May 26 at Renaissance
Park Golf Course.
* Play starts at 9 a.m. Par
ticipants are to arrive at
least an hour before tee-off.
The format is four players
per team.
Entry fee is $75 per player,
which includes green fee,
cart, range balls and lunch.
All proceeds go to Save The
Seed.
For more information,
call 332-2209 or 376-7283.
Anita Stroud
Radiothon
A local radio station and
the Excelsior Club are put
ting on a benefit for the Ani
ta Stroud Foundation.
The sixth axmual WPEG/
Excelsior Club Humanity
Organization radiothon
wjll be held Saturday from
10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Ebccel-
slor Club's parking lot at
: 921 Beatties Ford Road. Do
nations are tax deductible
and food and drink will be
available.
For more information,
call the Excelsior Club at
334-5709.
Urban League
Class Reunion
The Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Urban League
is having a class reunion.
Graduates of the first 30
computer and ofilce systems
training center classes will
reunite on May 20 at the Ur
ban League headquarters at
500 N. Ttyon St. Festivities
start at 6:30 p.m. and last
until 8:30 p.m.
RSVPs are asked. For more
information, call 376-9834
or 379-7739.
McCrorey Y
Open House
The McCrorey YMCA will
sponsor a family fun day
Saturday. A fish fry will be
held from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
and a carnival will be held
from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
An open house of YMCA
programs will also be held.
Admission is $1 per person,
which will Include four car
nival tickets.
For more information,
call 394-2356.
IN A CLASS BY HERSELF
' f-
PHOTOBKRBERT L. WHIR
TIB1E8 HAVE CHANGED: Davlna Hayes of Charlotte is the first African American female
to be Inducted Into Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society at Davidson College since women were al
lowed on campus In 1973. Behind Hayes is a portrait of former Davidson president Rev.
John Hood, served fit>m 1941 to 1957,16 years before women were allowed to enrblL
Campus Mail Brought A Huge
Surprise: Phi Beta Kappa Honor
By Herbert L. White
THE CHARLOTTE POST
hen Davina
Hayes opened
an envelope
from David
son College
about a
month ago.
she thought
the contents
.would be
headed for the trash.
But there was a surprise
inside. The Davidson sen
ior had received the highest
academic honor American
colleges give.
"I just got a letter saying I
was Inducted into Phi Beta
Kappa," she said. "We're al
ways getting mail from
Davidson. I just thought It
was more junk mail."
Hayes, a biology major, is
the first black woman -
and second African Ameri
can overall - from David
son to be Inducted to the
honor society since the
school opened its doors to
women in 1973. The honor
came as a shock to Hayes,
22, who graduates Sun
day.
"It's kind of strange since I
didn't know what Phi Beta
Kappa was. I didn't know
how prestigious it was until
I got Into the initiation pro
cess," she said. "It was a lot
of hard work, but it wasn't
my initial goal. I just want
ed to graduate. Getting into
the honor society was sort
of a sideline."
Hayes' induction raised
eyebrows around campus,
not because she didn't de
serve it, but because so few
See PHI On Page 2A
■
Ro(^ Still
Running
Program
Fired Director Heads Fighting Back
Program In A Volunteer Capacity
By Winfred B. Cross
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Nathaniel Rock may be out of a salary, but he's not out of a
Job.
Rock was fired as director of the Fighting Back program
April 13 by Mecklenburg Area Mental Health Director Peter
Safir. However, after a unanimous vote by the 27 neighbor
hood components of the program. Rock still serves in the po
sition on a volunteer basis. Safir has taken over day-to-day
operation of the drug-reduction program.
'We can be volunteers and work for the program, so can he,"
says Nate Love, a neighborhood volunteer representing Reeder
Memorial Baptist Church Alcoholics for Christ. "The money
doesn't make the director. It's the achievements that have al
ready been displayed that makes him the director."
Rock attended Tuesday's weekly Fighting Back meeting but
had no comment. His dismissal is being appealed. A date has
yet to be set for his hearing, according to his attorney Michael
Sheely.
Mecklen’ourg C. jnty Commlsskine"' Vt'alton says that
all parties involved need to be more understanding.
"The thing is this is a new venture that requires a new under-
See COMMISSIONER On Page 3A
Black Kids Are More
Likely To Be Up With
Hope, Say No To Dope
By Herbert L. White
THE CHARLOTTE POST
25.
20.
Bucking stereo
types, drug use
among black
youngsters is al
most half that of
whites and drop
ping, according
to a recent sur
vey.
The findings,
released by the 15
Drug Education
Center, paint a
rarely-portrayed
picture of drug
use: 10.5% of
white youngsters
used drugs (in
cluding alcohol
and cigarettes) in
1992, a reduction
from 13.1% in
1989. Among Af
rican Americans
DRUG USE AMONG MECKLENBURG
YOUTH BY ETHNICITY
10-
5.8% 6%
Black
White
22.2% 22.6K
Hispanic
I 1989
11992
SOUflCBDflUQEGUCATIONCetTSI
See DRUGS On Page 2A
The Wilmore
Ne^borhood
Association,
led by presi
dent Maggie
Freeman and
board member
Willie Jeter
has embarked
on an efibrt to
convert an
abandoned
building into
a community
center.
raoTo/nuiL
wniiAMBm
By Cassandra Wynn
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Wilmore Neighbors Are Confident
They'll Get A ComiAunity Center
for the first year will be suc
cessful.
'We feel good about our
goals because we will reach
our quota." said Maggie Free
man, president of the Wil
more Neighborhood Associa
tion.
The city has agreed to pur
chase and renovate the site if
the neighborhood raises op
erating costs for the first
year. The neighborhood as-
An old boarded-up building
on the corner of West
Boulevard and Cliffwood
Place is slated to become the
center of activity In the Wil
more community.
Representatives of the Wil
more Neighborhood Associa
tion (WN.^ say that they are
confident efforts to raise
$133,000 In operating costs
See WILMORE On Page 2A
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Call (704) 376-0496.