Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-08-20


Fourth Of o Series
enter white schools here on
September 2, turmoil has been
conspicuous by its absence in
this county of $4,000 resi-
dents 10 miles northwest of
Washington.
Those who believe it would
be better to accept some inte-
grafton than to close public
schools feel free to say so. with
no apparent fear of being la
beled "integrationists" by their
neighbors.
White residents speak well
of Negroes - including the
local president of the National
Association for the Advance
ment Of Colored People.
Committees Absent
Factors that have stirred
other Virginia localities are
missing. White residents are in
the majority by more than 10
to /. Segregation has not been
an issue in local election cam
paigns. Perhaps most signifi-
cant is that so far county Of
ficials know Of no Citizens
Councils, no Defenders, no
Councils on Human Relations,
no committees to keep schools
open and none to shut them
down. Z
IT didn't even know we had
any NAACP until l read about
it in the newspapers, chuckled
E. M. Bowen. chairman of the
County Board of Supervisors
when asked to discuss the Me-
groes' attempt to enter white
schools.
: The applications represent
the first bid for school desegre-
CATION in the Shenandoah VAL
ley. Warren County is at the
northern end of the valley at
the entrance to Skyline drive
Other Topics of Interest
Mr.. Bowen, a tall, good
looking man who farms and
runs an oil business, inter
rupted the monthly meeting Of
the supervisors to talk about
what might happen in hi
county if Negroes are assigned
to white schools.
1t was the supervisors frs
meeting since the Negroes ap-
piled.
81 don't know how the res
of you feel, but most folks
have talked to would rathe
see some indignation than hav,
schools closed" Mr.. Bowen said
Now that the subject ha'
been brought up, I can say tina
l have heard that, too" sale
. E. H. Stokes, who is in the fur
niture business in Front Royal
: Approach is Calm
They spoke calmly and di
fectly, just as they had dis
: cussed livestock clais. count,
roads and the appointment OF
: new public helath nurse.
1T definitely am in favor o
{ open schools. It is a crazy idei
{ to close them no matter VIII
thought it up" Mr.. Bower
s added with q smile.
Virginia's massive resist
: ance" laws require the closin
of any school that is integrateC
: Senator Byrd, who lives Il
: nearby Berryville, is regarde
as the architect Of the massiv
resistance movement.
Mr.. Stokes said he though
the Negroes should have waite,
land I still think So" H
pointed out that the county
on the verge Of building a neN
combined elementary and higl
school for them. A $431, rs
contract was awarded Thurs
day.
PTA Head Speaks
Mrs. Frank Bachetti, presi
dent of the local PTA Council
thought most people here wan
to keep schools open.
with schools closed, educa
ton would be a lost cause" Sh
commented.
: Mrs. Bachetti comes fror
Pennsylvania. She said sh
went to schools with Negroe
in her native State with n
apparent difficulty.
"Of course, there was Sma
proportion of Negroes. I ca
understand the feelings {
people who live where the sit
uation is different. But "
don't have many Negroes her
in some schools there woul
. be no problem at ALL" she sait
Quick to vouch for good re
lations between Negro an
white residents was Mrs. Eth'
Turner, president of the locs
NAACP chapter. Mrs. Turne
is a neat, graying housewit
who goes regularly to praye
meetings at the Mount Verno
Baptist Church and gets alon
well with white residents.
"She is a fine woman-I hav
a great deal of respect for her
said Supervisor Stokes, who
her neighbor,
Mrs. Turner lived in Mich
igan, New York and otht
Northern States before comm
to Front Royal IA years ae
to recover from rheumat
fever. She met and marie
John Turner, now retired frol
American ViscoSe.
IntegratiOn is Coming
She is not certain integri
ton will come this fall. "b'
some day, maybe not now, II
tegration is coming, just lii
the buses. trains and everythlr