Evening star., 1939-08-01
Miss Baker Approved
For Recreation Post
In New Setup
Tennyson, English
And Anderson Also
Get Top Positions

The appointment of Miss Sibyl
Baker, former director of play
grounds, to the post of director of
community centers under the new
recreation set-up was approved to-
day by members of the Board of
Education still in Washington.
Although it was not officially an
nounced after a meeting of the Dis
trict Recreation Board yesterday
that Miss Baker was being appointed
to the post she held prior to her job
as playground director, she was re-
ferred to as community center di-
rector by board spokesmen. She re-
ceived $4,000 as director of play
grounds. The director of community
centers receives $500 under eX-
isting law.
Other new appointments to top
positions in the new set-up are as
follows:
Richard S. Tennyson, former as
sistant superintendent of play
grounds, assistant director at $4,000;
Harry English, former supervisor of
mems and boys activities with the
Community Center Department, as
sistant director at $4,000, and
Thomas j. Anderson, professor of
education at Howard University,
assistant director at $500.
Fourth Named Ratified.
Although fourth name was rati-
fled for a colored assistant director
ship, the person IN question has not
accepted the post, it was learned
from Mr.. Barrett.
Miss Maude M. Parker, formerly
director of girls and women's ac-
tivities with the Playground De-
partment, is to be appointed super
visory recreation director at salary
of S2,160
The cut in Miss Bakers salary is
one of the ways in which Lewis R.
Barrett, director of recreation, is to
save approximately 100000 which
Congress cut from total District
recreation funds in the current
Appropriation Act.
For the time being Mr.. Barrett
must save money only in the top
positions of his new organization.
These are the four assistant direc-
torships of recreation.
All existing personnel and salaries
will remain unchanged until Sep
tember IS, although titles may be
changed to some extent. After that
date there will probably be a re-
shuffling of personnel to fit it bet
ter into the new organization.
This means that the largest part
of the saving Mr.. Barrett must make
will have to be effected after Sep
tember Is.
Besides completing final details
on the new organiza ton Mr.. Bar
rett today began further survey
of closed school Fairgrounds to de-
termine which could effectively be
opened with $3.50, which the board
managed to CLEAN from the budget
for the purpose. The board ordered
Mr.. Barrett to open 10 additional
grounds. He has already opened
four school grounds and two park
areas not already open.
Hampered by Provision.
The areas to be opened will be
in addition to whatever new areas
he can open with w. P. A. leaders.
Right now he is losing as many
such leaders as he is getting in be-
cause of the 18-month employment
provision in the current Relief Act.
AS soon as reorganization is
cleared and the new setup func-
tioning, Mr.. Barrett said he in
tended to push plans for the i'm
provement of recreational areas to
make them more attractive to chill
dren.
Mr.. Barrett also is to work on
new program of play activity
which will supplant the one for
merly in effect under the Play
ground and Community Center De-
partments. Now that there is little
overlapping of personnel and du-
ties, service to the public can be
extended almost so per cent, he be-
ieves.