Evening star., 1955-10-17
- - iil- 3. /. :.
PTA0fficiaI Hits
DeIegafePIaIl
For Conference
Sees D. c. Congress
And Educution
Bourd Bypussed

An ofiicial Of the District Con-
eress OF Parents and Teachers
today protested omission Of the
congress and the District Board
of Education from representa-
ton on the District delegation
to the White House Conference
on Education.
Mrs Leonard Thomas. first
vice president of the PTA organ
ization, made public a letter to
Robert v. Fleming. chairman OF
the District committee for the
conference. asking that the dele
cation be expanded to include
spokesmen for the two groups.
The membership of the Dis
trict delegation to the confer
ence, to be held November % to
December /. was announced BY
Mr.. Fleming last week. Ten del
egates and 10 alternates were
selected by the local committee.
School People Among AIternates
Walter N. Tobriner. Board Of
Education member, is one Of the
aiternates. as are Or. Carl e.
Hansen. assistant school super
intendent, and Mrs. Agnes N.
Arnold, assistant principal Of
Macfarland Junior High School,
both Of whom are members Of
the PTA Congress Board Of
Managers.
Mrs. Thomas, in her letter,
said that PTA leaders felt a top
representative from both the
PTA Board and the school board
should be named to the delega-
tion.
Informed Of the protest. Ro-
land T. Carr. aide to MI. Flern-
ing, said that the delegation Is
limited to 10 members. however.
He said only persons active in
the District conference commit
tee were considered for appoint
ment, and that seven of the
places were filled. by subcon-
mittee chairmen and Mr.. Flem-
ing himself.
> i
10 Delegates Listed
The 10 delegates. besides Mr..
Fleming, are WooIsey w. Hall
former school board member:
Mrs. Waldron faulkner, civic
leader; DR.. Hurst r. Anderson,
president of American Uniyer-
sity: Charles 7. Penn, builder:
CT NJ Harrington, official at
George Washington University. |.
Thomas ]. Groom. banker; Mrs.
Eugene Meyer. civic leader; Afsgr.
John 8. Spence. director of edu-
cation Of the Washington Gath
Ole archdiocese. and Charles NJ.
zellers. deputy school superiil-
tendent.
Alternates. besides Mr..
Tobriner and Mrs. Arnold, are
Lawrence E. Duvall. Miss Mar
garet Pepper, Mr.. Carr. Harold
M. Curtiss, DR.. Garnet c. Wiikin-
son, Archie M. Winfree, DR.. WAL
ter e. Hager. president of the
District Teachers College, and
William j. Smith.
Mrs. Thomas, In her letter to
Mr.. Fleming. declared:
I'VE are disappointed to note
that the list Of delegates from
the District Of Columbia to the
coming White House conference
on education does not include an
official representative from the
Board Of Education nor from
the District Of Columbia Com
gress OF Parents and Teachers.
Sees Groups BY Passed
1T was our understanding that
the original plans for this con-
ference called for two-thirds of
the delegates to be laymen. and
1t seems that two most important
lay groups in this city interested
in the welfare Of school children
have been by-passed.
I'VE are definitely the largest
eligible lay group In the Dis
trict. representing 7S schools
with some 10000 members. The
national congress Of which we
are part has membership
of over 8 million. The presi-
dents Of nearly all these State
congresses Of parents and teach
ers will be here representing
their organizations, and it would
be a sad thing to find that our
own ID. G. organization, who ex-
pect to act as hosts to these
out-of-town PTA representatives,
is left out"
The PTA Congress was rep-
resented on the District confer
ence committee until last spring
by. Mrs. Frank F. Strope, its
former president. But John B.
Giiliiland, who succeeded Mrs.
Strcpe in May. is not a member