Arizona sun. [volume], November 14, 1957, Image 1

About Arizona sun. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1942-196?

Image provided by: Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records; Phoenix, AZ

                
ARIZONA SUN
—NO. 31
Baseball Star Denied Home
In Bay City Exclusive Section
Near Strikeout For San Francisco
As Willie Mays Seeks Home In
The City’s Swanky Section
SAN FRANCISCO The re
fusal of a pressured local home
owner to sell Baseball Star Wil
lie Mays his house opened a
Pandora's Box of controversy in
“the city that knows how” last
Thursday as newspapers, radio
and TV stations, and Mayor
George Christopher went to bat
for the Giant’s colorful out
fielder.
The Golden Gate city hum
med and buzzed with shock and
shame as the star player on
the major league team so re
cently brodfeht to this commun
ity ran smack into the housing
bias ordinary Negroes are made
to bear daily.
Walter A. Gnesdiloff, owner
of the $37,500 Miraloma Drive
house involved, claimed he was
pressured to back out on the
deal with Mays by local resid
ents of that racially exclusive
street. Some of the calls Gnes
diloff received came from per
sons high on San Francisco' so
cial ledger.
One man. who is opposed to
the idea of having Mays as a
itfe 7 dBH
JP|Jp: %£' BjMM|li^^^M||BßHßßßj^^PsSJg
■ss& a s mf*~mm
Hi SBbBBA mmm^
[ • B Kir
\ ■■ - -■
I I Sm
t- \ li • v-.a^BMiK
lochi. BH&' fj
■ |E
, iWfc''’ , Kir —,— f |Jg
r 41VJ j
INDIAN FEAST—Governor Ernest McFarland is shown above
being presented with the first ticket to the Indian Thanksgiving
Harvest Feast which will be held Nov. 23 at the Pueblo Grande
Museum Park in Phoenix. Indians from all parts of Arizona will
participate in the colorful affair. Making the presentation is
William Mahoney, chairman of the Phoenix Indian Center board
of directors. Standing at the right is Bert Briggs, managing
director of the Center.
neighbor, operates a chain of
theaters in the Fillmore district,
a heavily Negro populated sec
tion. A woman resident of the
Miraloma area, member of a
prominent, bread-making fam
ily, also put herself on record
against the Mays’ moving in.
Fearing jeopardy tp his liveli
hood as a contractor, Gnesdiloff
sought to return the downpay
ment Mays had tendered.
A this point, the San Fran
cisco Chronicle, the sole local
daily employing Negro news
men, called public attention to
the matter in a by-lined report
covering several columns. Next,
radio and TV commentators
moved in to interview the “Say
Hey” Kid.
While news reports were stjll
being phoned in to city desks,
Mayor George Christopher, fresh
from a vacation to h.t§ native
Greece, sent a personal note to
Willie Mays and family inviting
them to be his house guest un
til they could secure suitable
dwelling.
(Continued on page 8>
\
PHOENIX, ARIZ.—THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1957
A Second Urban
Renewal Project
Approved
A telegram was received from
the Urban Renewal Administra
tion at Washington announcing
approval of an allocation of
plans for the clearance and
redevelopment of the East Jef
ferson Street Project. This pro
ject consists of an area between
Jefferson and Madison Streets
from 7th to 11th Streets, and
portions cf the block bounded
by Madison, Jackson, 7th and
9th Streets. This 30-acre area
contains 104 dwelling units of
which 95 were found to be sub
standard. It is estimated that
there are 177 families living in
the krea. The City will assist
these families to relocate in suit
ably located, decent, safe and
sanitary housing at a cost with
in their means.
Futu|p use of this area will
. be for commercial and indus
trial purposes although the exact
development has not yet been
determined. A portion of the
area may be used for an expan
sion of existing City office and
storage facilities, and for off
street parking. This is the sec
ond redevelopment project ap
proved by the Federal govern
ment. Approval of a $143,484 al
location for planning the re
development of the Southwest
project, a 60-block area between
Harrison and Durango from 7th
Avenue to 15th Avenue, was re
ceived on October 3.
No word has been received
concerning a pending applica
tion for planning funds to study
the half block on the north side
of Washington Street between
:Jnd and 3rd Streets. An appli
(Continued on page 8>
THE QUEENS AND THREE —All smiles
are Miss Joyce Elmore, third from left,
“Miss Capital Classic” for 1957, and Mis
ses Barbara Mitchell, left, and Helen
Coble, right, who were runners-up. The
beautiful young women were awarded
trophies by The Coca-Cola Company at
half-time of the Capital Classic in Wash-
ington, D. Clast week. Standing in on
ceremony are Cocroft, Washing
ton Coca-Cola Bottling Works, Moss H.
Kendrix and Otis N. Thompson, Jr., The
Moss H. Kendrix Organization, public re
lations representatives for the Coca-Cola
industry. Morgan State College defeated
West Virginia State College 33-0 in the
16th classic event.
People Os The South Sold Phony
Bill’ Southern Editor Claims
ALTANTA, Ga.—Ralph McGill
speaking before an Emory Uni
versity lecture forum said the
people of the South “have been
sold a phony bill of goods” by
those who say integration would
mean . amalgamation of the
races.”
The editor labeled such beliefs
“an insult to both races to
believe that the only law is keep
ing them from running to the
marriage courts.
He said a real tragedy in the
Deep South is that local school
bpards.have not been able to do
what they might want. He said
he feels that there would, be
little trouble over desegregation
in .such urban centers as Atlanta
and Savannah because relative
few students would be involved
in mixed'classes.
The editor said he would rath
er see Georgia close its school
than to go through a period of
violence and mob action. He
added he was confident schools
would be closed “if it comes to
that.”
The editor expresed hope for
a delay of integration suits in
the South for two or three years.
He said meantime progress on
the problem might be made else
where in the South.
Mr. McGil declared that a per
son would be a fool to demand
intgeration but “he would be a
greater fool not to commit him
self to stand for the law.”
The editor noted that despite
the tremendous outbursts
against the 14th Amendment by
southern politicians “it’s still
there, and it’s valid.”
The Atlanta Constitution edi
tor insisted that “We should
A GOOD newspaper and the
Bible in every house, a good
schoolhouse in every district,
and a church in every neigh
borhood, all appreciated as
they deserve, are the chief
support of virtue, morality,
civil liberty, and religion. —
—Benjamin Fran bun
10 CENTS PER COPY
not deceive ourselves that the
amendment will be taken out
and warned most of us wouldn’t
want it taken out.”
Mr. McGill emphatically told
the forum “that we ought not
to listen to people who say the
Supreme Court has violated the
Constitution—it can't,” said the
editor, “because the Supreme
Court was created to interpret
the Constitution.”
ALABAMA NEGROES TO OPPOSE
TUSKEGEE BILL
In a recent meeting of the
voter - registration leaders of
Alabama 'the group went on
record opposing a constitutional
amendment recently enacted by
the State Legislature which
would pave the way for the
abolition of Macon County (Tus
kegee) where the international
famtus Tusk eg ee Institute is
located. If ratified by the elect
ors of the State Macon County
would be divided between the
adjoining counties. The purpose
of this amendment is to prevent
mass voting of Negroes in the
concentrated area, like in Macon
County whose is a
ratio of 61. <
The Alabama State\?oordinat
ing Association went on record
opposing the amendment and to
work diligently to get a large
turn out on December 17th to
oppose.
The Coordinating Association,
of which W. C. Patton is Presi
dent and Coordinator, met re
cently in Birmingham during
which time more than five hun
dred delegates attended from
(Continued on page 8)