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VOL. 6, No. 33 Lincoln 3, Nebraska—Official and Legal Newspaper June 26, 1952
J. Duncan Recorder of Deeds
WASHINGTON (ANP)—John
B. Duncan, 42, an attorney and
employee of the Housing and
Home Finance Agency, last week
was named Recorder of Deeds for
the District of Columbia.
It appears probable that he will
be confirmed by the senate, thus
ending the fight over the post
which has found the senate re
fusing to confirm the Truman
appointee, Earl Beck of Kansas
City. Congress later passed a bill
to take the appointment away
from the President and gave the
District Commissioners authority
to name the recorder.
The naming of Duncan proved
surprising to many Negro political
leaders throughout the country.
For many years, ever since Recon
struction Days, the Recordership
has been a federal patronage
which Negroes felt was secure for
a person of color. For many years
also the District of Columbia has
contended that the job should be
handled by the district officials
since its work was purely local.
Negroes everywhere fought this
idea because they were certain
that if the job went into the hands
of local Washingtonians, Negroes
would not be considered for the
post even though it was not totally
attractive, paying only $8,360 a
year.
The Rev. Marshall Shepard ofj
Philadelphia, who had held the
job for six years, resigned to run
successfully for Recorder of Deeds
in Philadelphia. There were nu
merous candidates for the place.
Congressman William L. Dawson
visited the President personally
and told him that the post should
go to one of the deserving Demo
crats who had worked for his
election during the last campaign.
President Truman, however,
noted for his fealty to his friends,
named Earl Beck whom he had
known for many years and who
had served under him as superin
tendent of a colored boys home
and old folks home in the county
in Missouri where Truman was
county judge.
Congressional opposition to Tru
man and Beck’s rather inept ap
pearance before a senate commit
tee where he displayed a lack of
(Continued on Page 3, Col. 1)
Englewood Makes Amends
To Mrs. Mary Bethune
ENGLEWOOD, N. J. (ANP)—
The mayor of Englewood, M. Les
lieDenning, was the first to grasp
the hand of Mrs. Mary McLeed
Bestune last week as she entered
the Engle Street Junior High
School.
The city thus atoned for the
slight it had given the famous
woman leader last April 24, when
she was refused permission to
speak in that same high school.
School authorities had banned
Mrs. Bethune from speaking on
school property because of charges
that she belonged to 22 organiza
tions which were on the subver
sive list of the house Un-Amer
ican Activities committee and
called “fronts” for Communism.
As she appeared before the ca
pacity audience under the auspices
of the Women’s Auxiliary of the
local American Legion post, Mrs.
Bethune received an ovation.
The board of education of En
glewood and the Henry Douglas
Post Auxiliary had made an inves
tigation after the incident had as
sumed national proportions. They
declared that Mrs. Bethune, who
denounced any attempt to brand
her a Communist, had cleared her
self.
MISS ROBBIE L. POWELL,
daughter of the Rev. and Mrs.
R.* H. Powell, was recently
elected by the Board of Educa
tion to a position as a teacher
in Lincoln Public Schools for
the 1952-53 session. Miss Powell
holds the B.S. in Education and
the Master’s Degree from the
University of Nebraska, where
she majored in elementary ed
ucation. She also has had one
year’s experience, having taught
in Kansas City, Kan., school
system.
Fisk President
Receives Degree
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND—
(ANP)—Dr. Charles S. Johnson,
president of Fisk university, Nash
ville, Tenn., last week received an
honorary degree of Doctor of
Laws from the internationally fa
mous University of Glasgow here.
Dr. Johnson was named to re
ceive the degree providing that he
could be present in person to re
ceive it. This he was able to do
because he is in Cambridge, Eng
land representing the Fulbright
Board of Foreign Scholarships
and America at the United King-:
dom Institute of American Studies
at Cambridge university.
After the three-week institute
closes, -Dr. Johnson and MrsJ
Johnson will visit four other i
countries at the request of the (
Fulbright board. He also will
serve as United States observer■
at the Conference of European
Scholars being held at the Uni
versity of Oslo, Norway. |
Dr. Wright Reviews Career
pr. Louis T. Wright, Surgical Director of Harlem Hospital and
Chairman of the Board of the NAACP (left), was interviewed by
BUI Leonard on “This Is New York” over CBS Radio’s flagship
station WCBS. Recently honored by 1,500 friends and admirers at
a testimonial dinner in the grand ballroom of the Hotel StatlCr,
Dr. Wright discussed Harlem’s health needs and medical progress
ana increased opportunity for Negro doctors since he came ta
Harlem Hospital some 33 years ago. *
Three Earn
Seta Kapr V
CHICAGO & \h VV V
Kappa k e ^
awarded ' » of
whom ,/hich
man> ared in
surmot ,o different
universn country.
The ne\ .eted members of
the nation’s xghest scholastic fra
ternity are:
John Ward, 22 year old blind
student from Indiana university;
George A. Booze, 33 year old tu
berculosis patient who earned his
key while a correspondent student
from the University of North
Carolina, and Miss Emelda Lit
tleton, 20 year old coed from the
University of Illinois.
Ward, blind since birth, was
graduated from Indiana U. after
compiling one of most impressive
records in the school’s history.
Besides receiving a Phi Beta
Kappa key, he held a half-dozen
elective campus offices as an un
dergraduate student. A resident
of Marion, Ind., he won a three
year, $6,300 scholarship to New
York university where he will
study law.
Booze, a veteran from Winston
Salem, N. C., has spent five of the
last 10 years in a hospital under
going treatment for tuberculosis.
He earned a degree in Journalism
by correspondence from the Uni
versity of North Carolina, with an
over-all average of% 95.48.
His earning of a degree cli
maxed a bitter struggle which
often was marked by setbacks. Ir
1942 doctors discovered he hac
contracted the dreaded “whitf
plague,” and he was admitted tc
Otcon VA hospital. In 1945, he
was discharged from the hospital
with an arrested case of tubercu
losis.
He then began his formal educa
tion for journalism. After spend
ing two years at Western Carolina
Teachers college at Cullowhee,
N. C., he enrolled in the UN. How
ever, this was interrupted by a
recurrence of tuberculosis. It was
then that he was forced to return
to the hospital and completed his
studies by correspondence.
He now is awaiting his dis
charge from the hospital so that he
can begin his career as a newspa
perman.
Miss Littleton, the lone woman
among the trio of Phi Beta Kappa
(Continued on Page 3, Col. 1)
I
^t. Joh n-Estlier Day Held
.a Omaha June 22nd
i
8 May Quit
iStaff Over
jNegro Ban
SEWANEE, Tenn.—Eight fac
ulty members of the University
of the South, including the dean
of the school of theology and the
university chaplain, last week!
said they will resign a year from
now if Negroes are refused ad
mittance to the university's school '
of theology.
The board of trustees had re
jected a proposal by the Provin-j
cial Synod of the Episcopal Church'
to admit Negroes, saying they felt
“encouragement of the enrollment
of such students now is inadvis
able.”
In a statement telegraphed to
Bishop R. Bland Mitchell, Little
Rock, Ark., chancellor of the*
church-operated university, the
eight termed the decision by the
trustees “untenable in the light of
Christian/ethics.”
In Little Rock, Bishop Mitchell
said the protests would receive
full consideration from the board
of trustees.
-;
Truman Picks Regular to
\ Fill Judge Waring’s Post
l LAKE CITY, S. C.—(ANP)—
, President Trurrtan last week sent
, the name of a successor to J.
, Waties Waring, former federal
judge for Eastern South Carolina.
The nominee, Ashton H. Wil
liams, a lawyer of this city, was
selected it is said because he was
a regular Democrat who refused
to follow Gov. J. Strom Thurmond
and his State’s Rights campaign'
during the last presidential elec
tion.
There is no evidence that Wil
liams is anything approaching thej
liberal which Judge Waring
proved to be. It is predicted that:
he will have the suppoft of at
least!” one of South Carolina’s sen
ators. Because the political leaders
in this state were off the reserva
tion in the last election neither
senator had sent a nomination to
President Truman for the Waring
Post. ✓
Judge Waring became nation
ally famous for his decision that!
Negroes had the right to vote in
South Carolina Democratic pri
maries.
Negro Churches Invited to
Join Iowa ME Conference
DAVENPORT, la. (ANP—Two
Negro churches have been invited
to become members of the North
Iowa Methodist conference. The
decision to admit the two churches
came during the annual church
conference in session ‘here last
week.
Invited to join the white
churches in “one firm Methodist
City and another at Marshalltown,
church” were a church a Mason
which have a combined member
ship of some 100.
Action taken at the recent Gen
eral Conference of the Methodist
Church at San Francisco pavc-d
the way for Negro and white
churches, located in the same con
ference, to become members of
the same conference provided it i
was agreeable with all parties i
concerned. j.
The Lodges and Chapters of
the Nebr. Jurisdiction Prince Hall
Affiliation F. and A..\ . observed
St. John-Esther Day services Sun
day, June 22, 1952, at 3 p.m. at
St. John A.M.E. Church, 22nd and
Willis Ave. Rev. Charles Favors,
pastor of the Pilgrim Baptist
Church was the principal speaker.
Henry Washington, Worshipful
Master of Marvin Lodge, Grand
Island, Neb., was the master of
ceremony. M. Harpley, Lincoln,
Neb., Lebanon Lodge was Master
of the Day. Mamie Mason, Hia
watha Chapter, Order Eastern
Star, Omaha, Neb., served as Ma
tron of the Day.
The Masons met at the Masonic
hall, 26th and Blondo, at 2 p.m.
Marshal of the day was from An
chor Lodge No. 14. The line of
march was east on Blondo to 24th
St., north on 24th to Grant St.,
east on Grant to 22nd St., then
north to the. church. Members of
the Order of the Eastern Star as
sembled at 22nd and Lake St.,
under the supervision of the Mar
shal of the Day, Dorothy Lewis,
Lincoln, Neb.
Music was furnished by mem
bers of the Eastern Star and the
Masonic Lodge under the direc
tion of Mrs. Irene Morton.
Greetings were extended by
Clayton P. Lewis, Most Worship
jful Grand Master of the Prince
-! Hall Grand Lodge of Nebraska
: and its Jurisdiction F. and A.M.,
!and Mrs. Edith Wheatley, Grand
Worthy Matron of Amaranthus
Grand Chapter.
I_
First Negro Special
Delivery Carrier Hired
By FLOSSIE THOMPSON
TULSA, Okla. (ANP)—Luther
“Spurgeion” West who made a
high score on a civil service ex
amination is the firat Negro hired
as special delivery carrier here.
Colored special delivery mes
sengers are fairly common in
many sections of the United States.
In the south however, postmasters
have usually sought to keep these
jobs and those of clerks in the
post-offices as special assignments
for white employes. Tulsa, which
has had a few Negroes working in
jobs other than service employ
ment, now has its first Negro spe
cial delivery messenger in West.
A graduate of Booker T. Wash
ington High School, West attended
Xavier college at New Orleans for
two years and attended the Amer
ican Business college in Tulsa.
He formerly played saxophone
with Ernie Fields band and
worked at .a local jewelry store.
Until recently, he was employed
by American Airliner.
West continues playing saxo
phone with a combo at the Star
dust night club (white) once a
week.
West and his wife, Mrs. Dorothy
West, a beautician, live in their
newly built home of buff brick
trimmed with native stone at 2016
N. Peoria.
They have one son, Larry, age 9.
He is a member of Saint Mon
ica Catholic Church, the local un
ion of Musicians Federation, Na
tional Postal Alliance and the Elks
Club.
“Nepotism” means, favoritism to
relatives.
We all have a patronymic. It's
our family name.
St. Elizabeth was the mother wt
John the Baptist.