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P age A 6
A ugust 2 1 , 1996 • T he P orti ani ) O bserver
Edile
Requiem For A Master Mentor
M i K i m p Bt h i
We are all so much the better for
it. that this scholar and learned man,
William (Bill) - McClendon, has
passed our way.
W hen he died last August 5 , 1996
I was forcibly and reluctantly com ­
pelled to accept the fact that I had
lost a mentor and adviser who had
looked ‘straight ahead’ for the fifty
years 1 had known him.
It was a bit longer than that, in
fact, for the first newspaper article
I ever wrote was for McClendon’s
"The Peoples Observer” in 1944.1
remember quite well that it was a
proud piece detailing the progress
o f the "All-Negro 99th Pursuit
Squadron”. I remember as well, Bill,
the patient and indulgent editor,
politely but firmly correcting my
amateurish excursion into the world
of journalism. The man demanded
competence.
Our next round o f mentorism
o cc u rre d at his ja z z c lu b ,
"McClendon’s” . Bill had just pur­
chased one of the ‘new’ wire re­
corders that had recently come on
the market (tapes came later).
Though the idea was to preserve
the music o f the jazz greats who
were booked at the club—Ellignton,
Basie, Oscar Peterson, et all - there
was, o f course, a great deal of play­
ing around and ad-libbing over the
mike.
Again, a young McKinley Burt
who thought that he was the most
articulate, clear-speaking spokes­
man around was brought to rein by
in P rof .
the master mentor.
Bill played back some o f my best
effort; he didn’t say anything, just
looked at me while I sought a rock to
crawl under.
I heard almost unintelligible gib­
berish with a deep southern accent,
flat and a little whiny, and no final
“g” ever added to a participle.
Well, you get the general idea o f
what Bill McClendondid forsomany
o f us, one-on-one. But it was as an
aggressive and consummate polemi­
cist in matters o f racial discrimina­
tion as well as the more subtle hypoc­
risies o f American culture that he set
a standard for courageous and in­
sightful reporting. And, then, he could
turn essayist and deliver a measured,
intellectual commentary on the es­
tablishment, on the body politic or
ju st on the lives o f black people in
general.
There was never any sophistry
about Bill; he would have none o f it,
no evasive reasoning, no special
pleading. With this man it was al­
ways “Straight Ahead”.
Believe me, the dilettante who
sought to engage him in some ill-
prepared or off-the-wall argument
was soon put to flight. Bill never had
‘space’ for time wasters, He had so
much to tell us, to teach us - and in
one lifetime.
While some o f his prodigious out
put over a 60 year span is col lected in
his 1995 book, “Straight Ahead: Es­
says on the Struggle o f Blacks in
America, ( 1934-1994) much more
may be enjoyably and profitably pe­
rused at the public library - in older
copies of"T he People’s Observer”
(1943-1945), and "The Observer”
(1945-1950), or in issues o f “The
Black Scholar.”
This piece cannot begin to de­
scribe the contributions that Will­
iam H. McClendon made to this
community, to this state, and to this
nation.
Early on he set his mark, stand­
ing with those who provided coura­
geous and clear sighted leadership
in the struggle o f blacks to gain
equal employment in war time in­
dustry, attacking discrimination in
housing and in public service, and
castigating U ncle T om s, Aunt
Jeminas and inept or ‘bought’ lead­
er. And never, never, ceased.
Decades ago, McClendon de­
plored a racist school system, racist
curriculum and racist history. And
it was due, in great part, to his
prescience and intellectual vigor
that "Black Studies Programs” were
instituted in this area.
And those o f us who benefitted
from his wisdom in our formative
years shall be ever grateful to the
man who first revealed to us in
depth just how political and how
dangerous this scheme o f things
can be.
I am inspired to invert a well
known phrase and it may in part
describe this “prophetic and influ­
ential intellect” we have lost. Bill
“ looked at the rose through world-
colored glasses.” And his clear per­
ceptions have helped us all.
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m R ichard W , R ii . ey
Now that kids are going back to
school, it’s good time to ask: Where
do you have to live to find good
schools?
Do you have to live in a weathly
suburb? Do you have to head for the
big cities? Should you go to a univer­
sity town?
The answer is: Good schools can
be found anywhere in America. You
can find them in the inner-city, in the
suburbs, and in rural towns.
That’s what Money magazine dis­
covered when it went looking for
America’s 100 best school districts.
I he results o f the search can be found
in the January 1996 issue o f the
magaizine, and it'san article that every
parent, educator, and citizen who cares
about education should read.
“ Money isn’t everything,” de­
clared Money. The districts that made
the list enjoyed widespread commu­
nity support and a high degree o f
Money M agazine has ranked
Howard University among the top 25
schools in the nation in its annual
“Best College Buy” ranking issue.
The just-released September is­
sue ranks the top colleges in the
nation for value on the basis o f cost
and academic quality.
Howard earned a rank o f 19th on
the list, moving up from a 38th rank­
ing spot last year.
Other schools in the top 25 includ­
ed California Institute o f Technolo­
gy in the first spot, along with insti­
tutions such as Rice University, St.
Mary’s College o f Mary land, and the
University ofN orth Carol ina--Chap-
el Hill.
“This top ranking is a recognition
o f the quality o f the faculty and stu­
dents at Howard University, as well
as the excellence o f its academic
programs,” says H. Patrick Swygert,
president o f Howard. “We are de­
lighted to receive this national hon­
or, which only recognizes what we
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here at Howard have know all along-
-that this university continues to be
one o f the premier institutions for
higher education in the country.”
The special 43-page college guide
in Money M agazine’s September is­
sue is the product o f an analysis o f
more than 1,000 colleges and univer­
sities nationwide.
The analysis considered 16 mea­
sures o f educational quality, includ­
ing entrance exam results, faculty
resources and deployment, library
resources, instructional and student
services budgets, four -as well as
five-or six-year graduation rates, and
default ratios on graduates’ student
loans.
Then the m agazine com pared
those data with tuition and fees at
each o f more than 1,000 institutions
to arrive at a value rating.
Howard University is the only
comprehensive research university
in the country that has a predomi­
nantly A frican-A m erican student
M om , your kids w ill soon
be back in school.
Of $20.00 or More
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citizen to participate.
"America Goes Back to School:
Get Involved!,” asks parents, grand­
parents, neighbors, educations, stu­
dents, and all community members
to work together to achieve these
goals: Making school safer, more
disciplined, and all community mem­
bers to work together to ach ieve these
goals: Making schools safer, more
disciplined, and drug-free; putting
computers into classrooms; improv­
ing reading making sure academic
standards are high; preparing young
people for careers; and making col­
lege more accessible.
A free kit is available that offers lots
o f good ideas for achieving these goals
in your community. Many o f these
ideas have succeeded in helping com­
munities like yours to improve their
schools. Just call the U.S. Department
o f Education at 1-800-USA-LEARN
and ask for the “America Goes Back to
School” activities kit.
Howard among best college buys
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parental involvement, and many were
in areas where the average home cost
less than the U.S. median.
The fact that good schools can be
found anyw here-so long as parents
and communities are willing to work
forwthem-is good news for every
citizen.
We all have stake in quality edu­
cation, even those o f us who don't
have children in school. Strong
schools build strong communities,
and we all want that.
Because parental and coummunity
involvment are so important to edu­
cation, the U.S. Department o f Edu­
cation and the national Partnership
for Family Involovment in Educa­
tion are launching an important ini­
tiative to coincide with back-to-
school time.
It's called “America Goes Back to
School: Get Involved!” This is the
second year for this initiative, and I
would like to invite you and every
Portland
Community
College
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I BACK TO SCHOOL FISH FRY!
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AT: G.C.M.C.C.
128 N.E. RUSSELL ST.
body.
It is a private institution with some
11,000 students enrolled in programs
that encompass approximately 167
areas ofacadem ic concentration lead­
ing to bachelor’s, m aster’s and doc­
toral degrees, as well as professional
degrees in law, medicine and dentist­
ry. The university is ranked a Level I
research institution by the Carnegie
Foundation, one o f only 88 such in­
stitutions in the county to be so des­
ignated.
The Howard University freshman
class forthisyear, the “C lassof2000,”
will number about 1,392 students,
which is 313 more than last year, and
they will have an average SAT score
o f 939, a significant increase over
last year’s 900 average.
The class will also include an in­
creased numberofNational Achieve­
ment Scholars - 96 compared to last
year’s 44, which will probably make
Howard the number one institution
in the country in attracting the much
sought-after National Achievement
Scholars.
Brand and style
conscious
According to the American Ex­
press Retail Index, which monitors
consumer spending trends in retail
and is based on a survey o f 1,000
consumers naitonwide, parents will
spend an average o f $363 per child
for back-to-school items this year.
This is an increase o f 12 percent as
compared to the 1995 survey. The
survey also revealed that nearly one
in five parents ( 18 percent) say they
plan to spend $500 or more.
Parents say their children will also
contribute to the budget, pitching in
an average o f 19 percent from their
own savings.
According to the second annual
American Express Retail Index on
back-to-school shopping, parents say
their children are style-and brand
conscious about their back-to-school
wardrobe.
“Back to school sales are strong in
both apparel and shoes this year,”
according to Sherrie Curtain, mer­
chandise manager o f apparel and foot­
wear o f GI Joes, which has 14 stores
throughout Oregon and Washington.
“Soccer clothing, wool sweaters
and fleece vests and jackets are very
popu lar items so far th i s season,” she
added.
Surprisingly, and contrary to last
year’s back-to-school survey, the
American Express Retail Index found
that college boys are dramatically
m o re style-conscious than college
girls (57 percent vs. 28 peicvnl).
The survey also found that nearly
half o f all students are considered
style-conscious by their parents. On
a scale o f 1 to 10, with “ 10”, being
extremely style-conscious, and “ I”
being not at all style-conscious, 45
percent o f parents gave their kids an
8 or higher.
The top brand names among all
three groups o f students were Levi’s
(45 percent), followed by Nike (39
percent), The G ap (17 percent),
Reebok ( 16 percent) and Guess ( 13
percent).
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