39 years ago this week:Richard M. Nixon went out today to campaign for his second attempt to become president. He was seeking an overwhelming victory. Nixon stated, “The will of the American people must be expressed overwhelmingly in November; it must not come in confused or timid or halting or tripartite voices. That is why we ask for far more than a majority of the Electoral College. That is why we ask for far more than a plurality of popular support. That is why we ask for a mandate to govern.” However, according to The Daily News (New York), Vice President Humphrey was leading Nixon by 4.2 per cent statewide … The general counsel of the NAACP, along with entire legal staff, resigned Monday, October 28, due to the organization’s national board’s failure to reinstate Lewis M. Steel, an associate counsel. Source: The New York Times, October 29, 1968
35 years ago this week:The Rams defeated the number nine Fayetteville State Broncos. With many errors from both teams, 8 fumbles, 9 interceptions, and 18 penalties, the Rams took over the lead at halftime with a score of 9-3. The second half was not any better than the first; however, the Rams managed to increase their lead and win the game. Winston-Salem was ranked first, J.C. Smith second, Fayetteville third, Shaw fourth, and Livingstone fifth … Six Winston-Salem State University professors have been named Reynolds professors for the 1972-73 academic year. They are: Dr. William F. Sheppard, history; Dr. Cleveland Williams, political science; Dr. Jeraline Harven, business; Dr. Jacqueline Shepperson, biology; Dr. Charles Gray, English; and Dr. Nathan Simms, mathematics. All were selected on the basis of academic achievement and teaching ability. Source: The News Argus, October, 1972
25 years ago this week:Two African American women on opposite sides of the political spectrum run for the new 18th Assembly District in New York. Barbara Patton, the Democratic-Liberal candidate, and Briding Newell, the Republican candidate, disagree on many major political issues such as the death penalty. Mrs. Patton said that she was “opposed, unequivocally,” and favored consecutive sentences, while Miss Newell supports the death penalty. When it came to abortion, Mrs. Patton was “pro-choice”, and Miss Newell was opposed to abortion. She said that she disliked the fact that abortion has become a political issue … Thursdays are popular at the restored 31 Bank Street Restaurant. On this day you can get a one-pound lobster or steak dinner with salad and rolls for $10. It is suggested that you go in a day or two in advance to purchase a ticket. Lunch entrees ranged from $3.25 to $5.75. Dinner for two included three courses, a cocktail, a bottle of 1980 Mosel wine and coffee for $31; taxes and tip are included.Source: The New York Times, October 1982
20 years ago this week:Students at WSSU are looking forward to new proposal for co-ed visitation. Students at the institution had somewhat of a visitation schedule, but the program fell through because students were not making an effort to keep the program going and the students were not abiding by the rules … NCAA ruling proposition 48 is a set of athletic eligibility guidelines that will take effect for college athletes during the year 1986-1987. More than 50 percent of athletes in football and basketball would be ineligible to play, under the new rule. Source: The News Argus, Fall 1987
10 years ago this week:Nursing sorority Chi Eta Phi has received a plot. It was located behind the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.’s plot. It was decorated with green and yellow chairs and benches. The national organization, founded on October 16, 1932, by Ailene Ewell, is an organization of professional nurses and nursing students … The O’Kelly library offered two new databases through the online catalog to Eric Education database and PSYC-INFO psychology database. They provide article citations and abstracts from the professional literature of those fields. The library’s Internet access computer is now able to link you to worldwide information. The library also has its own homepage on the Internet. The cost of one of the computers behind the circulation desk was approximately $2,500. Currently, printing is free to students. Source: The News Argus, Fall 1997
Week of November 5 Angel Brown, Charlene Wheeler and Quentin Moyeargus staff39 years ago this week:Mrs. Shirley Chisholm defeats James L. Farmer and is elected in the House, becoming the first African-American woman member of Congress. A Democrat from New York, Chisholm won by about a 2-to-1 margin in what was then the newly drawn 12th Congressional District in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. Source: The New York Times, November 6, 1968
34 years ago this week:WSSU’s professor of sociology, Ralph von T. Napp, pushed for an exchange program that would allow students from South America to visit WSSU during the summer, in exchange for students from WSSU to visit universities in South America. Napp, along with Rev. Cedric Rodney, believed that “black universities were being left out of various cultural exchange programs.” Rodney held dual citizenship in the U.S. and Guyana, South America, which was the first country chosen for the new exchange program. Both Napp and Rodney flew to Guyana to meet with the minister of education and the prime minister to orchestrate plans for the program, and also flew to Africa to discuss plans for an exchange program to be set up at universities in Senegal, Liberia, Nigeria, and Ghana. The finances were not properly equipped at the time to begin the program, but the following year, 1974, six to 10 students from Guyana, WSSU, and Piedmont University Center met for a workshop that would prepare them for the actual exchange. “Up to now, few of our black universities have been really involved in cross-culture exchanges,” Napp said. “We hope to change this.” Napp birthed Study Abroad for WSSU, allowing students to have, as Napp put it, “personal contact” with diversity and how education influences other cultures.Source: Winston Salem Journal, November 5, 1973
25 years ago this week:A jury found Eddie Carthan, former Mayor of Tchula, not guilty of hiring two men to kill a political rival in the Mississippi Delta town. After deliberating only 45 minutes, the all-black State Circuit Court jury delivered its verdict in the two-week trial for the charge of capital murder. Mr. Roosevelt Granderson, a basketball coach at the Tchula high school, was killed June 28, 1981, in a convenience store where he worked part-time. Two African-Americans testified that Carthan promised them $10,000 each to stage a robbery and kill the Tchula alderman. Carthan told more than 100 supporters on the Holmes County Courthouse steps, “The bell has struck for liberty and justice and peace.” Source: The New York Times, November 5, 1982
11 years ago this week:A two-time nominee for the Pulitzer Prize, Dr. Chuck Stone, was the featured speaker at WSSU. He is a former senior editor and columnist at the Philadelphia Daily News, a former White House correspondent, and the former editor of three African-American newspapers. He spent a day with aspiring WSSU Mass Communication students …The Thompson Center was formally dedicated on Founder’s Day. The ribbon-cutting was held in front of the Cleon T. Thompson Center. Hundreds of alumni, students and faculty were in attendance. Thompson served as chancellor at WSSU for 10 years … The Delta Chi chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi was disqualified from the Homecoming step show. “We told them if you get other schools to help you step then all the members of your Chapter must step. All of them did not step,” said Dr. Barbara J. O’Neal” … WSSU Ram Jam was held at the Joel Veterans Coliseum. Comedian Arnez J from HBO, Def Comedy Jam, and BET’s Comic View performed. He was described as a very funny act, full of energy and kept the crowd laughing. Other performances were by The Lost Boys, who performed their hits, ‘Renee’, ‘Jeeps, Lex, Coupes, Bimaz, and Benz’, and ‘Music Makes Me High’. A Tribe Called Quest performed ‘Electric Relaxation’, ‘Can I Kick It’, and more. Source: The News Argus. November 13, 1996
Archival information for “Back in the Day” is courtesy of O’Kelly Library, WSSU