Evening star., 1948-06-10
Ropshaw Named
|HeadofCerebra|
a|syGroup
Mojor Victory Soy
Foes of Policies of
Society for Crippled

| SOSISty loi SiiPPiSo
Parents of crippled children who
have protested the operation Of thu
District Society for Crippled Chill.
dren today hailed as major victory
the election Of their candidate a.
president Of the Cerebral Palsy
Association.
The association, which is com.
posed mainly Of the parents o.
children served by the society, last
night elected r. E. Ropshaw al
president.
Mr.. Ropshaw, deputy chief of the
Reports and Analysis Branch Of tht
Army's Civil Affairs Division, hac
resigned several months ago as vice
president of the Cerebral Palsy As.
sociation in protest against the re.
fusal of the society's Board of Di-
rectors to give protesting parents
a hearing.
Two Directors Resign.
| Word of the election came after
two members of the societys board
resigned and third announced
plans to resign later. Their resigna-
tions followed a secret board meet
ing Tuesday night at which reporters
were barred and told nothing OF
proceedings.
Those withdrawing from the group
were DR.. Ella Oppenheimer, director
of the Health Departments Bureau
of Maternal and Child Welfare, and
DR.. Montgomery Blair, director OF
Children's Hospital.
Both said today they do not want
to comment at this time on the
reasons for their designations. But
it was known that the designations
came as the climax to the struggle
for reorganization within the
society.
A third board member, Mrs. C
D. Lowe, who is member OF the
board of the National Society for
Crippled Children and president OF
the District tuberculosis Associa-
tion, also said she plans to resign
because she doesn't want to be a
party to the way the District So
ciety operates"
Warned to Re-organize.
The society, which serves children
crippled by brain injuries, is sup
ported by the public sale. of Easter
Seals. This years campaign brought
in something more than $4,000.
The national group, on May II
gave the local society 60 days to re-
organize or face expulsion from the
national organization. This move
followed the resignation of number
of employees and string of protests
from parents of some Of the handi-
capped children. The parents were
disturbed over the way the society S
work was being handled.
According to reports to the Cere-
bral Palsy Association election
meeting, Mr.. Ropshaw was elected
after the retiring president, Dan
Piver, asked to be relieved as pre-
siding officer and delivered a 90
minute address against Mr.. Rop-
shaw.
Mr.. Piver, board member Of the
Crippled Childrens Society, on the
previous night started to write a
statement for reporters after the
reporters after the board meeting
suddenly threw it away and an
nounced: I'VE have no further
comment"
Summer Activity Planned.
Mr. Ropshaw said today his group
favors continued close cooperation
with the national society in contrast
with what appears to be the atti-
tude of the board"
Although the association is usu-
ally dormant in the summer
months. he said, it will stay active
and probably hold special meeting
lin view of the crisis July H. That
is the expiration date for the ulti-
matum from the national society.
The association, with a member.
ship of more than 200 persons in.
terested in the problems of children
suffering from cerebral palsy, meets
in the society's headquarters, but Is
otherwise autonomous. Mr.. Pivel
became a board member Of the so.
ciety after becoming president Of
the Cerebral Palsy Association.
DR.. Oppenheimer, DR.. Blair ane
Mrs. Lowe are known to be member!
of a minority group within the So
ciety which has urged putting ths
society on a more businesslike basis
working more actively with the com.
munity and deciding definitel,
whether the society should run {
full-scale treatment center.
Motion Voted But Ignored.
On DR.. Oppenheimer's motion, tht
society voted On May II to accept
the offer of the national society tt
send an expert here to assist in the
reorganization.
Subsequently, Mrs. Beulah Drake
president of the local society, sale
she had not forwarded the society!
request for an expert because she
had "other plans" These plans wer.
discussed at the closed Tuesday
might meeting.
Mrs. Lowe said that, although SHE
is a member of the Executive Com.
mittee within the board, she ha:
been completely in the dark" or
what is being done.
She explained that she is holding
up her resignation for the 60-day
period given by the national society
She said she did not believe the
local society would carry through
the reorganization demanded by the
national group, but as member o1
the national board. she felt COM
mitted to wait out the so days.
Martin Speeds
~ Rond Roofh