Evening star., 1950-07-28
Recreation Aide
Awaits Bi-RaciaI
Center Program
Davis, Who Headed
CentroI's Activity,
Ready for New Job

The recreation specialist who
will be in charge of the new inter-
racial center for adults planned
for the Central High School Build
ing is ready and willing" to get
into the project.
He is Frank Davis, 40, who has
been with the District Recreation
Department for IL years. During
the last eight of those years, he
has been in charge of the Central
Center for white residents.
The District Recreation Board
yesterday unanimously voted to
set up a city-wide inter-racial
recreation program in the high
school building. 1t will be known
as the Cardozo Center and will
start in September, if all goes we'll.
September also will see colored
students from Cardozo High
School take over the building that
once was Central High School.
Central has been abolished as a
city high school, and it's students
assigned to other buildings.
Action Selects Director.
In adopting the plan yesterday.
the Recreation Board said it in
tends to place the director Of the
Central Center in charge of the
Cardoza Center. That man is Mr..
Davis.
A native of the District, Mr..
Davis attended the old Business
High School (now Roosevelt High)
and was graduated from the Ma
tional University Law School in
1884. He is married and lives at
TIA Taylor street NV. He has
three children.
Mr.. Davis said he is ready to
go into the project. when the top
Recreation Department officials
set up the program. In the past,
he has operated at Central with
one assistant, four or five volun-
teer workers, six custodians and
about IL paid recreation special
lists during the busy winter season.
Raises Some Problems.
A number of problems face the
Recreation Department in getting
the center organized, Milo Chris
tiansen, recreation superintendent,
pointed out.
First, the Board of Education
must give permission to use the
building. This is routine. how
ever, and no trouble is expected
to arise from that quarter. The
Recreation Board must get per-
mission from the school board any
time it wants to use a school
building.
For some time, the Recreation
Department has had the authority
to issue permits for inter-racial
use of colored school auditoriums,
if group wants to use the halls.
When that first was discussed last
year, the school board ruled it
could not interfere with the Recre-
alton Boards policies, once it had
given permission for the use of
the buildings.
Space Determination Later.
Mr.. Christensen said meetings
have been held with A. Kiger
Savoy, associate school superin-
tendent, and Robert H. Mattingly,
Cardozo's principal. They have
assured full cooperation in get
ting the new recreational program
started, he added.
Mr.. Mattingly has his own
problems at present. He is set
ting up a new school organization
in the high school building. Until
he completes that organization,
the Recreation Department will
not know specifically what space
is available for its program.
Plans call for the extensive
program carried on at Central to
be continued-but on an inter-
racial basis. No extra money is
available to the Recreation De-
partment, but expansion of the
program later is hoped for.