Evening star., 1952-05-06
Negro Citizens
Oppose Eliot
Shift
White Residents
Get Unexpected
Support in Fight

White residents Of the Eliot
Junior High School area today
received unexpected support in
their fight to prevent transfer Of
the school to colored students.
A total of 80 speakers appeared
before the Board of Education's
Buildings and Grounds Commit
tee to testify on the Eliot transfer
and two other proposals advanced
by School Supt. Hobart M.
Corning.
Robert L. Pollard, spokesman
for the Federation of Civic Asso-
Citations, declared his group OPP
posed the transfer of Eliot to coll
ored pupils. He called Eliot an
inadequate building and said 1t
would not solve overcrowding in
the colored junior highs.
Changes Recommended.
DR.. Corning has recommended:
l. That Eliot. at Eighteenth and
B streets NE. be shifted to COL
ored students next fall. The pres
ent Eliot pupils would be dis
persed to Hine and Stuart Junior
High Schools.
2. That Fairbrother Elementary
School in Southwest be trans
ferred to colored pupils to re-
lleve overcrowding in that area.
The Fairbrother pupils could be
accommodated at the nearby
Amidon School and in rooms at
Jefferson Junior High School.
3. That the old Terrell Junior
High School be converted to a
colored elementary school this
fall. The present colored stu
dents at Terrell will move into
the new Terrell in September.
Urges Abandonment.
Mr.. Pollard, in outlining the
views of the civic federation.
which represents more than 40
colored civic groups. also opposed
the transfer of Fairbrother and
the use of Terrell as an ele-
mentary school. He said both Of
them should be abandoned. He
offered no suggestion as to how
the overcrowded conditions In the
colored schools should be rem
edied.
On the other hand, the ma
jority Of the other neighborhood
and school organizations repre-
senting colored residents approved
DR.. Corning's proposals. Their
general feeling was that it was a
solution to an emergency which
would exist in the colored schools
next fall.
Called Only Solution.
Several groups contended that
elimination Of the dual school sysk
tenn was the only solution.
The argument of the white resi-
dents of the Eliot area was
summed up by John M. Curran.
representing the Southeast WASH
ington Citizens Association. Hel
declared: I
"The shifting Of schools is als
unhappy solution. The character
|Iof a neighborhood is determined
by its schools. It is grossly unfair
to uproot people from their homes
and such tactics are forciDg resi-
dents into Maryland and Virginia"
He declared that the Capitol
Hill residents have been improv-
ling that section of the city. He
said there was no reason for clos
ing any school in the area.
To Continue Terrell.
Mrs. Edna Quantrell of the
Eastern Elementary aren't
Teacher Association suggested
that Terrell be continued in use
as a colored junior high.
She pointed out that at least
!. five schools in the Northeast area
are being used as storehouses.
: Civic groups approving one or
all of DR.. Corning's proposals far
Ioutnumbered those protesting the
transfer of Eliot. There was no
contest on the shift of Fair
brother.
Mrs. Silas Williams. spokesman
for the Amidon Fairbrother =
, Greenleaf Parent-Teacher Associ-
ton. said her group was making
no official protest. She declared:
1--WE all know that the neigh
borhood has changed and the facts
show no need for the Fairbrother
School,"
Mrs. Williams urged the School
Board to speed up its planned re-
placement of the Amidon and
Greenleaf buildings. She called
the buildings antiquated and un-
satisfactory.
No Vote on Proposals.
The committee. which is headed
by Mrs. E. c. Magdeburger, did not
vote on the proposals today. Mrs.
Magdeburger said the committee
| would consider the information
presented and act before the May
81 School Board meeting.
Mrs. Margaret Stouffer of the
Eliot Junior High PTA presented
|, a petition signed by 1892 residents.
; All agreed, she said, that the trans
, fer of Eliot will not solve the
problem of the colored residents
and will increase the problem Of
the white residents"
Mrs. Bernice Briscoe, Ambush
is. j. Bowen PTA. cited crowded
conditions at the two schools and
said that more than 100 new
pupils will be ready for kinder
garten next fall. She approved
1.-THE transfer of Fairbrother, de-
claring. I'VE do not want part-time
lclaSses."
Opposes Segregation.
Mrs. Robert Fangmeier, Wash
Iington chapter of Americans for
Democratic Action, said elimina-
ton of segregation was the only
solution.
! Gardner L. Bishop, Conscii-
dated Parent Group, testified: