Evening star., 1952-07-25
Foes Of Transfer
OF Eliot Urge
Reconsideration
Proposal to Shift
Mckinley Prompts
Demand to Board
By jones 6. Deone

was asked to reconsider the trans.
fer Of Eliot Junior High School tx
Negroes on the basis of new evi.
dence.
The evidence, opponents said, /.
School Supt. Hobart M. Corning.
confidential report, proposing 6
future racial switch for Mckinley
High School. DR.. Corning tool
the wraps of this proposal after
the Eliot decision.
Nearly $50 white citizens votec
the new plea at a meeting last
night. The meeting created 6
Citizens Committee for Com.
munity Action to battle the Eliot
move and other school changes.
Eliot's transfer was ordered only
two weeks ago in a reversal of 6
previous School Board decision. I
the board takes the matter ur
again, it will be considering a Sec
ond reversal.
Requires Special Meeting.
A special meeting would be nee.
essary. John M. Curran, leader
Of the dissident group, said he wa.
sure Board President C. Melvir
Sharpe would call it.
Mr.. Sharpe said today he hat
told Mr.. Curran he would call 9
meeting only on the basis of Sub.
stantial" new evidence. He sale
he had not received the commit.
tees request yet and hadn't de.
cided what action to take.
Citizens sought, two weeks ago
to get Mckinley switched insteac
of Eliot.
Both Mr.. Sharpe and Board Vict
President Albert E. Steinem favor 8
Mckinley switch. Mr.. Steiner
withheld his vote at the recent
Eliot meeting. and Mr.. Sharpe a.
president didn't vote, either. The
vote was 6 to /.
The citizens are hoping to per-
Suade two new members to change
their votes. The new members
Walter N. Tobriner and Mis-:
Mary Harriet Parker, swung the
reversal.
Mrs. Edna Quantrille. an out
spoken critic of Supt. Corning
was elected temporary chairman
Of the new committee. She an
nounced the group would work fol
a better break for white school
children not only in the Eliot
matter, but elsewhere in the city
Curran Calls Meeting.
John M. Curran, president OF
the Southeast washington Citi.
zxns' Association. called last
nights meeting.
Mr.. Curran said the committee
probably also will fight a new
Negro move to obtain the white
Stanton Elementary School Annex
at Alabama avenue and Naylol
road Sc.
A Negro committee earlier thi.
week demanded the annex in place
OF a Negro school, Birney, which
is scheduled to take students from
overcrowded Turner and GARFIELD
schools this fall. Officials haven't
acted on the Stanton request.
Mrs. Quantrille said the new
committee will cover the whole cit,
IL residents in other areas want
its help.
The group sent its plea in tele.
grams to all nine School Boart
members today. Another citizens
meeting will be arranged mex
week to consider the boards re.
action, Mrs. Quantrille announced
Corning Bitterly Criticized.
Mr.. Curran told last nights ses.
sion, at the outset. that we're not
going to threaten any strikes OF
injunctions." Later, however, HI
said that If the School Boarc
doesn't act, the group can ther
|go to court. Funds will have tt
be raised for that purpose, HI
added.
The meeting brought bittel
charges against the School Boarc
and DR.. Corning.
One woman asserted that DR.
Corning had it in mind to inte.
CRATE the schools and was doing 4
step by step.
Somebody's got to step on hin
and stop it," she declared.
Mrs. Robert Colson, 11S Four.
teenth street Sc, said citizen.
''have a right to know his plans fol
our schools"
Mrs. Quantrille said DR.. Corn.
ing should make public his plans
for the next year at least.
The chairman urged citizens tc
write and telephone School Board
members.