Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-19
Gray Plan Foes
Open Richmond
Headquarters
! Educators, CIerics,
! Civic Groups Fight
| School Law Change

~
Opponents of a Gray Commits
sion recommendation to amend
Virginia's constitution today
opened a State headquarters In
Richmond. just three weeks be-
fore a referendum will be held
on the proposal.
The announcement came from
Delegate Armistead L. Boothe Of
Alexandria, who voted at the re.
cent special session of the Gem
eral Assembly against holding
the amendment referendum on
January 8. The amendment
would permit State tuition
grants to- children in private
schools II they object to attend.
ing integrated classes.
Mr.. Bootiie said the headquar-
tiers of the group, to be known
as the Virginia society for the
Preservation of Public Schools,
was established "in response to .
widespread and increasing de-
mand for Information.
People want to hear both
sides of this important ques.
ton" I
Cites Varied Backing
He said the headquarters
would be backed by educational
associations, civic groups and
ministers across the State as well
as fellow legislators from North
Iern Virginia who were among
the five House members to vote
against the referendum in the
recent Assembly.
Office manager for the new
headquarters is George Harris Of
Hopewell, a senior at the Uni
versity of Richmond Law School.
A Statewide advisory commit
tee for the headquarters win
be announced later in the week,
Mr.. Boothe said.
! The new headquarters oppos-
ing the change opened in Room
470 Of. the Hotel Richmond. de
rectly above Room $40 in which
Headquarters were opened last
Monday for those favoring the
referendum.
Mr.. Boothe, who is a State
Senator ELECT, said that those re-
sponsible for opening the head
quarters today agree with the
Gray Commissions proposed
pupil assignment plan but are
sincerely and definitely OPP
posed" to the tuition grant plan
for private schools.
Mrs. Stone Fears DislocatiOn
Delegate Kathryn Stone, an
other organizer of the State
headquarters. said, "A fresh
realization of the vital import
Isnce of public education is
dawning on citizens.
When government institu-
Ition basic to our American way
.of life is threatened by a plan
which would surely bring dislo-
cation and deterioration, citizens
must go into action. Our
efforts must be devoted to fur
Their strengthening public
schools, not to weakening them"
In another development, Dele
gate Robert Whitehead of Nell
son County, leader of anti
organization Democrats, said he
: would vote for a convention To
make the constitutional change.
His statement was in accord
with the organization leader.
Senator HEfd. who issued q
statement Saturday urging Vir-
: ginians to vote for the conven.
ton.
: Senator Robertson. Democrat
; OF Virginia. today also took q
stand in favor of the referendum.
Mr.. Whitehead, regarded as q
likely candidate for Governor in
1857, had voted in the recent
special session of the Assembly
ito submit the referendum ques-
ton to the voters but had re-
served the right to oppose the
convention.
On the other side, the presi-
dent Of the Norfolk Ministerial
Association, the Rev. r. Stuart
Grizzard. came out yesterday
against the amendment plan.
In the course of sermon at
: the First Baptist Church in Nor
folk. the minister broke into his
text to state, ANY tampering
with the public school system
hurts democracy and freedom.
You may say that our country
had no public schools when it
was established. That's true.
but we could not have preserved
democr acy without public
schools, for they provide us with
r an informed electorate"
| Mr.. Grizzard also said he
wanted to know who is to define
. the exact difference between
, State supported private and
parochial schools?"