Letter from Leo Jenkins to Elizabeth Bennett


[This text is machine generated and may contain errors.]





May 3, 1961

Mrs. Elizabeth Bennett

119 Fisher Street

Burlington NC

Dear Mrs. Bennett:

I am delighted with your letter regarding Dr. Esther McGinnis. We have a place for a teacher of psychology and should be very happy to have her here. Our big problem, however, is that we have only $5800 for the nine-month position. A person with her experience and training is obviously worth much more but that is one of our problems about which we are trying to do something.

If Dr. McGinnis is interested in a position at the salary named above, I shall appreciate your having her send us her credentials along with a request for employment. I shall not make any attempt to fill this position until I hear from her or from you after you have written for her.

I appreciate your kind invitation to attend your party on Saturday, May 13, and regret that another engagement will keep me from accepting. As a matter of fact, I have six speeches that week. As you might guess, this is the banquet season in Eastern North Carolina.

I am looking forward to having you with us on May 27. I should like to alert you to a problem that we shall have to face at this meeting. We have applications from highly qualified Negro students, some of whom have A certificates in North Carolina. The consensus among board members with whom I have spoken, Messrs. Morgan, Belk, Waldrop, Oglesby and Larkins, as well as the advice I have received from the Vice President of the University of Tennessee, and some of our governmental officials in the state, seems to be that the only thing we can do is to admit the without a lot of fanfare, making the procedure as routine as possible and explain to the students that their cooperation will be needed. The only alternative, according to one of the lawyers on our board, is that losing the case in short order. We shall also reminded that Woman's College, State, and Chapel Hill have Negro students. It is the opinion of some of the board members, also, that the second approach would be considered a challenge to the sources where integration is being pushed and an attempt would doubtless be made to send large numbers of Negroes here after they had won a victory.





Mrs. Elizabeth Bennett May 3, 1961

I, of course, intend to carry out the wishes of the board in this matter. However, in trying to decide what seems best for the college and the state, I believe my recommendation would be to follow the first proposal, admitting only a few highly qualified applicants without publicity.

It may be wise not to discuss this with anyone, from I am most anxious to have no newspaper hassle and no discussion of this until the board has an opportunity to discuss it and make a decision.

With all good wishes, I am

Cordially yours,

Leo W. Jenkins

LWJ:B`


Title
Letter from Leo Jenkins to Elizabeth Bennett
Description
date: May 3 1961;
Extent
20cm x 39cm
Local Identifier
TBD-
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https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/23530
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