Evening star., 1952-04-02
Closed Session
Set Tomorrow
In Welfare Fight
Board to Meet
With County Heads
On Resignation

With County Heads
On Resignation
Spurred by sharp criticism from
four county commissioners. tight
Tipped members of the Prince
Georges Welfare Board plan te
meet in closed session tomorrow
to reconsider suspension of Miss
E. Susan Hendricks, director OF
the trouble-plagued agency for the
last four years.
Miss Hendricks was suspended
on March II and threatend with
dismissal unless she resigned with
in five days, welfare officials re-
vealed yesterday, at a three-hour
joint meeting of the two boards at
Upper Marlboro.
Welfare Chairman John w
Sharper and two other members
OF the Secrecy-shrouded agency
Harry T. Jenkins and c. Norris
Hartman. admitted that their
board acted without preferrine
formal charges.
Details Withheld.
Incensed at this revelation, the
commissioners sharply questioned
the welfare officials in an attempt
to learn details of the bitter strife
that has long disrupted Welfare
Board procedure.
They got nowhere.
Then the irked commissioner
demanded that Miss Hendricks be
reinstated pending an investiga.
tion.
That. too, was rejected by thu
Welfare Board members, who alst
expressed unwillingness to meet
at an early date. but finally agreed
to TRY to arrange" a session to.
morrow.
Commissioner w. Everett Mar.
ton. who blocked the custer move
With a threat to fight the Wei.
fare Boards $101 900 allotment ir
the next budget, insisted on revo-
cation Of the suspension before
the budget is signed on Friday
Mr.. Marion and other commits
sioners have indicated they may
move to diSallow all welfare funds
unless the troubles are aired and
corrected.
Alleged Failings Outlined.
Mr.. Sharper told the commits
s'oners that Miss Hendricks was
considered incompetent because
in the opinion OF the Welfare
Board, she lacked decisiveness
conciseness and the ability to or.
ganize her department and main
tain the confidence of staff
workers.
But except for remarks he ex.
changed with Miss Hendricks ir
an acrimonious f1areup, he and
his colleagues refused to detail
heir accusations.
They explained that they felt
such discussion was improper in
open meetings" and would not
bulge from that stand, despite
insistent proddings from the COM
ImisSionerS and demands from
Miss Hendricks and her attorney
LIE Roy Pumphrey. Some of the
70 people in the hearing room
also Joined in the call for full dis
cuSSion.
-Four commissioners, in the alb
sence Of a colleague, H. Wilson
Spicknall, said they considered it
unfair to accuse Miss Hendricks
and then refuse to amplify the
charges.
Formal Charge May Come.
The Welfare Board members
countered that they adopted
that viewpoint to protect Miss
Hendricks and indicated that
they would prefer formal charges,
If she does not give up her post.
"But they certainly will not oe
made public" Mr.. Jenkins de-
clared.
Pressed for details at one point
in the hearing, MIR. Sharper
turned to Miss Hendricks and
asked:
"Have you at any time in the
last few months laid hands
violently on a staff worker?"
eyes," Miss Hendricks replied,
"after a case supervisor hit me
in the back with a door she
thought I had slammed in her
face. I held her, put her in a
chair and said, Calm yourself!' T.
She was in a tantrum."
WAS that the basis of your
action?" Mr.. Pumphrey asked.
mo" said Mr.. Sharper, "that
was just one point"
Report Criticized Board.
Despite the taciturnity of Wei
fare Board members. the hearing
made it clear that the trouble
involves disputes within the board
itself, quarrels among its work.
erS, diSagreements with State well
fare officials and differing schools
OF thought as to how welfare
should be administered.
The Welfare Board was crit
icized in a recent governmental
survey report for excessive turn
over Of case workers, and board
members yesterday indicated their
belief the trouble arouse from
Miss Hendricks failure to keen
peace In the ranks of young, in
experienced and poorly paid en-
|ployeS.
One former case worker. Mrs,
Alice E. Fusillo Of Greenbelt, sup
ported that position.
What Miss Hendricks saws and
what Miss Hendricks does are two
different things" she told the
commissioners.
Silver Spring AuxiIiory