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VOL. 28, NO. 40 G jRO, NORTH CAROLINA, FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 1969 PRICE 10 CENTS
FRED CUNDIFF, NEGRO, TO ASSUME
POSITION OF ASSISTANT
SUPERINTENDENT OF CITY SCHOOLS
By Owen Lewis
Greensboro Public Schools
.. ?
FRED CUNDIFF
"I view this new assignment
as the most challenging of my
life, and certainly I will do
everything physically possible
to justify the confidence placed
in me by the board."
That's what Fred Cundlff said
as he reared back in his chair
and chewed on his glasses. On
Aug 18, he will assume the posi
tion of assistant superintendent
of administration in the
Oreensboro Public Schools. He
Is the first Negro to hold an as
sistant superintendency in the
local school system, and he is
one of a select few in the state
of his race who hold positions
at that level.
Cundlff, 43, has directed fed
eral programs for the disad
vantaged in the city schools
?ince 1966 as director of Title I
programs under the U. S. Ele
mentary and Secondary Educa
tion Act of 1965. Elementary
counselors, school social work
ers, reading teachers, special ed
ucation for emotionally disturb
ed children, cultural enrichment
activities, free lunches, psycho
logical services and nurses have
been provided in 14 schools un
der Cundlffs direction.
Cundlff is five feet eight
Inches tall and has a wiry ap
pearance at 164 pounds. He has
a cafe au lait complexion, close
cropped hair and a thin mus
tache. He is a natty dresser,
who likes bright colors. His
chief diversion is golf ' ? "an
avid duffer" he calls himself.
He Is soft-spoken and deliberate
In his conversation. His sense
of humor is keen, and he enjoys
an occasional practical joke.
In the assistant superintend
ency, Cundiff will administer
the city schools' freedom of
choice pupil assignment plan,
coordinate student teaching as
signments, complete state and
federal reports relative to the
operations of the school system,
conduct long range planning and
take on a variety of admini
strative responsibilities that fall
outside the range of duties of
the other three superintendents,
whose areas are instruction,
personnel and business. The
four positions are coequal.
In response to questions con
cerning student unrest, Cundiff
commented, "When we attempt
to held children to think criti
cally, analytically ? even crea
tively and they demonstrate
an attempt to do this, we can
not tune them out."
"I do not feel that they are
j saying, 'We want to run the
J school,' but I do believe they
| feel they are entitled to a genu
ine opportunity to be heard, and
that their opinions will be con
sidered in the decision-making
process," said he.
A native of North Wilkesboro,
Cundiff worked in Chatham
Manufacturing Co.'s blanket
mill in Elkin before serving in
Burma in World War II as an
Army staff sergeant in the
Corps of Engineers.
After the war he attended
Ohio State University. Then his
childhood sweetheart, Hyla, lur
ed him back to North Carolina
and he got his degree from
Winston-Salem State University.
Later he earned the M.S. in
education from A&T State Uni
versity. Mrs. Cundiff teaches the
ourth grade at predominantly
white Vandalia School, and they
have two sons. Freddie, 15, and
Roderick, 8. They live at 1816
Curry St.
Cundiff taught at Washington
Elementary School from 1953
until he took the Title I director
ship in 1068, He taught in all
the upper grades, because the
principal, the late John Leary
wanted him to have a variety
of teaching experiences.
reflect ?n the things
that have happened to me I
would say that Mr. Leary was
the moving factor in my getting
a graduate degree and continu
ing in education. He saw some
thing in me. He always pushed
me, always expressed confidence
in my ability. He persuaded me
to take the Title I directorship
when Mr. (Philip) Weaver (late
superintendent of city schools)
offered it. I missed him when
this opportunity came, but I
think I did what he would have
advised. He was great ? a hu
man relations expert."
Cundiff has been a member
of the predominantly black N.
C. Teachers Association since
1953 and served two years as
vice president of the Greensboro
unit. He is a member of the
Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development, St.
James Presbyterian Church, the I
board of directors of Hayes- ?
Taylor WMCA and of Greens- '
boro Little Theater. He also
serves on the education sub- 1
(Continued qq Pige 4)
Black Soldier Denied j
Burial In Hometown
White Cemetery
Birmingham, Ala. ? The 16
year-old widow of a 20 year
old black soldier, killed during
a search and destroy mission in j
Vietnam, has been told that she j
may not bury his remains in an
all-white Alabama cemetery.
The NAACP Legal Defense
and Educational Fund, Inc.
(LDF), through cooperating at
torney Oscar W. Adams, Jr.,
this week asked for a prelimin
ary and permanent injunction
here in U. S. District Court.
Pvt. Bill Henry Terry volun
teered to serve in the U. S.
Army in September of 1968; six
months later he was shipped to
Vietnam.
He was dead four months
after arrival overseas and less
than a year after volunteering
Anticipated Death
Pvt. Terry, father of an 11
month-old son, had a premoni
tion that he would be killed anc
asked his wife, Margaret, and
- his mother Mrs. Jimmie Lee,
to see that he be buried in Bir
mingham's Elm wood Cemetery
His body was returned to his
native Birmingham under the
customary military escort.
"The military," the LDF said
in its complaint, "learning of
the deceased's wish to be buried
in Elmwood Cemetery, escorted
the body there in the company
of the plaintiff mother and plain
tiff wife."
The grieving women asked to
purchase a grave site.
They were turned away.
"Having no alternative and
having already made arrange
ments for the funeral," the LDF
told the court, the women "ar
ranged to have Bill Henry Ter
ry, Jr, buried at a Negro ceme
tery on July 19, 1969."
LDF Attorney Adams said
that the deceased's body will be
exhumed "if this court declares
that Elmwood Cemetery wrong
fully abridged plaintiffs' rights."
R?'M News
Holy Communion Service
The Holy Communion Serv
i ice will be conducted at Bethel
I Church Sunday, August 10 at
I 11:00 a.m. The service was post
poned from Sunday, August 3,
the first Sunday in the month,
due to the absence of the Pas
tor, Rev. L. S. Penn, Sr. who
! was on vacation.
Laymen's Meetln*
Among the Laymen of Bethel
Church attending the Eleventh
Biennial Session of the Con
nectional Laymen's Organiza
tion were Mr. and Mrs. Comey
Enzlow. The session was held
August 4-9 in Memphis, Tenri.
Guest Speaker at Bethel
The Rev. T. Campbell, the
Pastor of St. John A. M. E.
Church, Fairmont, N. C. will be
the guest speaker at Bethel
Church, Sunday, August 10, at i
(Continued oo Pifi 4)
Crowning of Trinity Mother Raises $1,177.65
Mrs. Julia Stradford Craw
"ord was crowned Trinity
Church Mother recently in a
CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION
ANNOUNCES EXAMINATION
The Civil Service Commission
:as announced a new examina
tion for filling Treasury En
| Xorcement Agent positions. These
I jobs are in the Bureau of Cus- '
? toms, U. S. Secret Service and |
the Internal Revenu Service, !
and are located in Alabama,
Florida, Georgia, Mississippi,
North Carolina, South Carolina,
and Tennessee. The positions
at Grades GS-5 ($6,176) and
GS-7 ($7,639).
All competitors are required
to take a written examination
in several subject matters.
About four hours are required
for the test.
The minimum age limit for
these positions is 21.
The examination announce
ment containing the description
of the work, education and/or
experience, and physical re
quirements and application
forms are available in the Civil
Service Office, Room 231, U.S.
Post Office^ Greensboro, N. C.
27420.
Applications will be accepted
by the Interagency Board of
U. S. Civil Service Examiners
in Atlanta until further notice,
and the examination will be
scheduled from time to time as
applications are received.
contest held at Trinity A.M.E.
Zion Church. She was crowned
by Mrs. Nettie Houston who was
Trinity Mother of 1968
Mrs. Julia Crawford lives at
;.t)2 Huffman Street. She was
born in Chester, S. C. From her
first marriage with Rev. E. D.
Stradford were born five chil
dren, four of which are living.
They are: Mr. Eddie Stradford,
Jr. of Greensboro, N. C.; Mrs,
Magalene McLendon of Balti
more, Md.; Mr. Willie Stradford
of Charlottesville, Va.; and Mr.
Allen Stradford of California.
Mrs. Crawford later married
Mr. H. Crawford.
Mrs. Julia Crawford is very
active in religions and civic or
ganizations. She is president of
Stewardess Board Number One
and is a member of the Finance
Board of Trinity Churoh. She
also has regular attendance In
the Churoh Sunday School and
is a member of the Courts of
Calanthe.
In the contest, Mrs. Crawford
raised $419.25. The other con
testants in the contest were:
Mrs. Florence Henderson who
raised $225.25; Mrs. Eunice
Caldwell who raised 9219.25;
Mrs. Aimy Foster with 9214-54;
Mrs. Beatrice Careloek who
raised 979.65; donations of
922.75. The total amount raised
was 91.177-65. Rev. Cecil Bishop,
pastor.