RALEIGH, N.C.,
THURSDAY,
AUGUST 30, 199of\
VOL. 49, NO. 801 1
N.C.'s
DEDICATE'
SINGLE COPY OP
IN RALEIGH ^30
ELSEWHERE 300
f
Grant To Help Joyner School
With Computer Base Programs
Page 3
Dr. Holland Addresses NAACP,
Says Black Employees Declined
Page 13
Real, Substantial Gab
Black Stuv.^ nts SAT Scores
Climbing
From CAROLINIAN Stall Report!
While the average SAT scores of
Wake County School System class of
1990 showed a one-point decline,
Superintendent Bob Wentz said he
was pleased with the school system
performance and black student? who
were showing real, substantial |ain.
White students maintained tpeir
scores from the previous vear.
While cautioning that one-year fluc
tuating in test scores do not always
signal a trend, Wentz was very pleas
ed, saying, “We are encouraged to
see the significant progress of our
black studens on the SAT. It is ob
vious from the scores that we are
making a headway.”
Johnny Farmer, retired principal
in the system, said, “Progress is now
moving in the right direction. Blacks
are more serious about their work,
but more work is still needed. There
is an old statement that is in evidence
to this: ‘You get from the table what
you bring to it.’”
William Hurdle, retired principal
and teacher in the Wake County
system, said, "It is now proven that
blacks have the ability to truly learn.
Now teachers are giving that extra
drive. I have always had the opinion
of black kids. Motivation is the key to
success.”
in addition, SAT scores for Wake
County students in the top two-fifths
of their class were higher than na
tional scores of comparable groups.
The average total score for Wake
County’s class of 1990 was 895—54
points above the state average of 841
and just five points below the national
average of 900.
Wake’s average math score was 472
(reflecting a gain of one point), and
the average verbal score was 423
(showing a decline of two points).
Approximately 73 percent of the
eligible Wake County students pted to
take the SAT while nationally only 40
percent took the exam.
Statewide, 55 percent of the
students chose to take the SAT.
For Wake County black students,
the average scores inceased by 10
points from 1989. Their average total
was 736, reflecting an average math
score of 382 (ud one point) and an
average verbal score of 354 (up nine
points).
The score of Wake County white
students did not change from the
previous year. Their average total
score was 930—488 in math and 442 in
verbal.
It would be easy for any school
system to increase the total average
score by discouraging groups of
lower-scoring students from taking
the test, Dr. Wentz said.
“That does not happen in Wake
County, and it appears the gains for
black students were real and substan
ttal.” . i,.
Wentz attributed black progress in
part to a greater emphasis on writing
at the high-school level.
Superintendent Wentz also in
dicated that the gap bertween Wake
County scores and the national
average is closing while maintaining
its high participation-rate.
In 1989 Wake County scores were
seven points lower than the national
average; in 1990 Wake scores were
just five points below the national
average.
Connie Howard Faces
Challenge In Move To
Pittsburg TV Market
Poative Model
For Community
BY CASH MICHAELS
Contributing Writer
“Under her leadership, we really
took this news operation to the moun
tain top,” said the familiar face, with
that distinctive voice known to hun
dreds of thousands of North Caroli
nians.
“I am extremely proud of her. I will
miss her as a colleague, but most of
all as a friend.” High praise indeed
from the man recognized as North
Carolina’s premier .television jour
nalist, WRAL-TV S’s Charlie Gaddy.
And such praise does not come cheap,
which is why after bine long years,
Connie Howard is leaving WRAL-TV
News with a boatload of respect.
Despite the stress and strain of a
day-to-day television news operation,
Ms. Howard paid her dues several
times over with every challenge she
faced, finally becoming WRAL’s first
African-American news director in
January 1908. She leaves the station
this week for Pittsburgh, Pa., to
become the assistant news director of
WPXI-TV, the NBC network affiliate
in the nation’s 17th largest television
market. A big move, and another
tremendous challenge.
“I’d like to think that I’m not leav
ing anything behind, that I’m taking
all of this with me in my heart,” said
the 35-year-old Otisville, N.Y. native.
"I walk through and I see the faces of
people that I’ve lived with for the past
CONNIE HOWARD
10 years, people I shared, funny
moments with... and it wells up and I
quickly go on to something else,” she
said.
Ms. Howard virtually grew up at
WRAL-TV. After serving as a general
assignment reporter for TV news sta
tions in Rochester, N.Y., and Des
Moines, Iowa, Ms. Howard joined
WRAL as a reporter in 1961. “I took a
look at my work, and I thought,
‘Okay, I’m not good enough to go on to
an NBC, ABC, CBS,’ but I felt I had
(See CONNIE HOWARD, P. 2)
Looking At Alternatives
Job Corp: Plan For New Opportunities
BY LANITA LOWERY
CoaMMtag Writar
There Is a free program that offers
young people the opportunity to
receive a high-school diploma and be
trained in one of 115 different training
areas. This same program offers free
room and board. Travel expenses are
taken care of and there la free
medical and dental care. And, on top
of all of this, students are paid
salary. What is the name of this pro
gram that sounds too good to be true?
It is the Job Corps.
Meals On Wheels
Aiding Elderly
Across Country
Fran CAROLINIAN Staff ItafMrto
The Meals on Wheels program does
more than deliver food to the shut-in
or senior citizens unable to go outside
the home. With seven nutrition
centers throughout Wake County,
they also provide nutritious meals to
people in comfortable settings such
as the Tucker Street Nutrition
Center.
The program is run by Ms. Becky
Pleasants, the only paid staff person^
with the Meals on Wheels program,
and the nutrition site director. With
more than 90 years’ experience in
nutrition food service, Ms. Pleasants
coordinates a daily food service pro
gram that serves more than 80 senior
citizens each day at the largest
gathering place for the elderly, the
Tucker Street site. She coordinates a
staff of two others who «re paid by the
Triangle J Council.
There is also provision for the han
1, with 12 handicapped who
' the nutrition canter daily
i help o^voUaateerswbo bring
I and wait on them. By I
pro. each day, all those interested in
(SeefeLbERLY. P. 1)
“This is a tremendous program
that gives young people, some of
them a first chance in life and it will
give some of them a last chance in
life. Of course, they get from it what
they put in it. If a young person
doesn’t have a skill, or doesn’t have
his or her diploma or GED, this is an
excellent opportunity to get it,’’ says
Nate Sanders, a recruiter for the Job
Corps.
The Job Corps offers training in
areas ranging from carpentry, plum
bing and brick masonry to nurse’s
aide training, computer programm
ing and the culinary arts.
“We make every effort to accom
modate our people when possible. We
make every effort to train them in the
area they want. If the training they
want is not available, if they’re will
ing to go into an alternate area, then
we’U go ahead and make ar
rangements with the understanding
that they can transfer out of the
center into where an opening exists in
their training area,” Sanders ex
plains.
Students also have the option of do
ing off-center training.
"If there is someone who a two- or
four-year off-campus program will
better suit, then the Job Corps will
pay for them to attend a college or
university or technical institute or
community college,” says Sanders.
The Job Corps takes young people
between the ages of 16 and 31. There
is a maximum two-year stay.
Students may stay past the age of 21,
but they must enroll before their 22nd
birthday.
A
The Job Corps also welcomes
students with children.
“A residential training center for
women with children is in the works.
If • person has children, they can still
come to the Job Corps Center and
benefit if they can make satisfactory
child cue arrangements back home.
And, of course, we have to verify
those satisfactory arrangements
before we enroll them. Usually it’s
just leaving a child with relatives,”
Sanders adds.
Perhaps the most exciting thing
about the Job Corps is that it pays
students to learn. Every 15 days for
the first two months, residents get
$20. After they have been in for tv o
months, students get $30 every 15
days. And after six months, $40 every
two weeks becomes the salary.
Students also get a clothing
allowance.
The Job Corps also provides a sav
ings program.
“After the first six months $75 a
month is put aside as a readjustment
allowance that they get when they
leave the Job Corps and go to their
first job. After the first six months
that jumps to $100 a month. This
money is saved for them so when they
get out they hawe it and they can use
that for a car, or utility deposit, or
rent deposit,” explains Sanders.
Many students may be concerned
about leaving home but since there
are four Job Corps centers in North
Carolina (including one in nearby
Kittrell) and in South Carolina,
Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky,
students should rest assured that in
most cases every effort will be made
to keep them relatively close to home.
Sanders does admit that the Job
Corps may not be for everyone.
“People who are not accustomed to
following rules and regulations are
gains to have problems in the Job
(See JOB CORPS, P. 3)
Police Search
Rare Jewelry, Antiques Stolen
Property
Valued
At $22,000
Police are investigating a break-in
that occurred at a residence on
Anderson Drive. A rare collection of
jewelry and antique weapons was
reported stolen in the break-in.
Lt. W.L. Baker of the Raleigh
Police Investigative Division said the
William K. Land family had been
away for several days and had
returned home during the weekend. A
relative had been checking the house
in the 2000 block of Anderson Drive
periodically, but sometime after Aug.
22, someone pried open a window.
Jewelry and weapons that were
taken valued at $22,000, the police
lieutenant stated. THe stolen
weapons included two pairs of double
barreled shotguns valued at $15,000.
In other news:
The number of persons sent to
prison for narcotics and drug offenses
in fiscal year 1900-90 increased 37 per
cent over 1088-89.
The increase in drug admissions is
-one of the findings in two statistical
abstracts prepared by the depart
ment’s Office of Management Infor
mation and Research. Each abstract,
one for the Division of Prisons and the
other for the Division of Adult Proba
tion and Parole, is developed quarter
ly for budgeting and planning ac
tivities.
(See STOLEN, P. 2)
ML&*NPi
In Search Of The Truth Behind
The Mvsteriea Of Bingo Parlor*
BY LANITA LOWERY
Contributing Writer
For some of us the word “bingo”
conjures up memories of a game
played in third grade with little green
plastic chips and having a new box of
crayons as the prize. However, for
many others (as I’ve learned recent
ly) bingo is a very serious adult
game, with some big prizes and I
don’t mean a 64-count box of
Crayolas.
My journey to find out about the
mysteries of bingo began at the
newest bingo establishment in
Raleigh. In the Wakefield Village
Shopping Center on Sunnybrook
Road, between the City Chic Hair
Studio and a Revco Drug Store, there
is a sign that simply reads “Bingo."
I learned very early that bingo is
the sport of nightowls, or at least
evening owls. At 2 p.m., the place was
deserted. The big neon bingo sign that
generally, when fed with electricity,
would flash red into the night, was a
smoky white and was almost invisible
in the afternoon light.
Through the window I could see
stuffed animals hanging on the wall.
One was a California Raisin in a tux
edo. Now this was a classy place.
I realized on thp spot that bingo is
no spectator sport and that I should
come back after 6 p.m. and throw
myself into it. This was going to be
great.
I enlisted the help of a friend and,
armed only with our cloudy
memories of third-grade bingo, we.
headed to the Wakefield Village Shop
ping Center. We were hitting the big
time.
I had envisioned bingo as a grand
social event. Little old ladies would
be swapping recipes and knitting, on
ly pausing occasionally to cover a
number with a little green chip.
There would, of course, be tea served
there and someone very much like
Kentucky Fried Chicken’s the Colonel
would be calling out the numbers.
As we walked through the parking
lot, I noticed that the neon bingo sign
did flash red into the evening. That
was about the only thing I would be
rightabout.
Once inside the place, we were hit
with complete silence. No one
bothered to look up at us as we
awkwardly maneuvered through the
rows of metal folding chairs, occa
(See BINGO, P. 2) *
Dr. Headen
Honored For
Leadership
A full house of (rends end ac
quaintances of Dr. Gregory T.
Headen are expected to attend
the gala appreciation dinner be
ing planned In honor of Dr.
Headen, provost/dean and
tenured professor of pastoral
theology, Shaw Divinity School.
The dinner will he held at S:30
p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15, in the
Banquet Hall of the Student
Union Building, Shaw Univeraity.
Coot of the dinner Is $10 per per
son.
Dr. Headen, who has served the
divinity school as dean of
academic affairs, president, and
more recently as provost/dean,
in addition to his teaching duties,
recently resigned his positions at
the school to accept a call to the
pastorate at Jackson Chapel Bap
tist Church, Wilson, effective
Sept. 1.
Dr. Talbert O. Shaw, president
Diviuity School, said, "Dr.
Headen has served the divinity
school with distinction in several
leadership capacities. This
special dinner is one way for eel
appreciation.”
Dr. Hoaden. who now resides at
4421 Leeta Drive, Raleigh, grew
up in Coldsten^iwhere l»|j
parents. Dorsett9&|, Maslwt,
(See DR. HEMWEfO^ Si '”"''