The-Helm_1966-03-03; Lynbrook Helm Independent Review

              East Rockaway Lynbrook Malverne
Vol. 5, No. 25 HT. Lynbrook, N. Y., Thursday, March 3, 1966 LY 3-1300 10^ Per Copy
Purcell Speaks Onr
Neighborhood Schools
PRESENTATION: East Rockaway VUlage Trustee Eugene Torborg
(left) is presented with a plaque as outgoing president of the East
Rockaway Rifle and Pistol Club. Edwin Heinser, new president, is
making the presentation at the annual dinner held at the Nassau Hotel.
In an interviewwith this news-paper,
Town Supervisor and Mal-verne
resident Francis T. Pur-cell
set forth his position on the
neighborhood school situation and
the continuing crisis in School
District #12. Mr. Purcell's re-marks
follow:
"I wish to reaffirm my po-sition,
which is the same one I
took as Mayor of Malverne for
eight years, a State Assembly-man
for one year and now the
Supervisor of the Town of Hemp-stead,
and that is that I believe
the neighborhood school concept
of education is the right approach
and not the shuffling of children
as pawns in an attempt to cre-
, ate racial balance in classrooms.
I am convinced that children can
be given the proper education
whether the classroom be 30%
Negro and 70% white or 70% Ne-gro
and 30% white, and this can
best be accomplished by allowing
the children to go to the school
in their immediate neighborhood.
"Parents, both Negro and wh-ite,
buy homes primarily on the
basis of 'where the school is lo-cated'
not 'what is the color of
the children attending the sch-ool?*
and I am firmly convinced
that both the white and Negro peo-ple
agree that the neighborhood
concept is the right concept and
the moving of these children is
causing strife and dissention in a
community that has always main-tained
excellent relations with
one another. Many of the Negro
people, although they are reluc-tant
to discuss this openly, agree
that they prefer their children
go to the school closest to home
and not subject them to traveling
great distances, either by bus or
walking.
"My wife, as a private citi-zen,
has kept our child out of
school for three days, for we feel
that Mr. Allen's ruling is wrong
and acceptance of this ruling by
a man who has probably never
set foot in what was previously
an ideal community, should not
be allowed to dictate and over-ride
an elected local school bo-ard.
A far greater principle is
involved in this issue than mere-ly
the experimenting with child-ren.
The real issue involved here
is whether the ELECTED school
board shall have the authority, or
will we become a dictatorial state
with an appointed official super-imposing
his authority on the will
of the majority.
"Neither the Negro child nor
the white child can benefit by be-ing
the plaything of a dictatorial
deml-god. I have been contacted
by hundreds of people both white
and Negro, who agree with me
that this Princeton Plan is wrong
and I can only now ask that you
help us support the neighborhood
school by contacting your State
Legislators and letting them know
your feelings."
Honor ER
Rescue Squad
On Saturday evening, March
5, Commander Joseph Ledner of
the Robert F. Garrison Veterans
of Foreign Wars Post of East
Rockaway, will honor the East
Rockaway Rescue Squad, by pre-senting
a plaque to its Captain
Richard C. Boll, at the Post.
This recognition to a group
of Volunteers who have respond-ed
to 229 calls n period of ten
months, under the leadership of
Captain Boll, 1st Lieut. Harry
Shamroth, and 2nd Lieut. Eugene
Hiscock is long overdue.
No matter the weather or
time of day, when the horn sounds
3-3-3, the Rescue Squad, faced
with almost any emergency, res-pond
without hesitation or con-cern
for their own lives. Just
recently they aided a mother in
the safe delivery of a baby who
could not wait to be born in a
hospital. A few years ago the
men were quarantined in the
Rescue House until 2 a.m. be-cause
of the possibility that a
child they had rushed to the
hospital had Menengitis.
Both ambulance and rescue
truck are equipped to handle
heart patients with oxygen and
resuscitator. The ambulance
carries a "poison kit" which
consists of antidotes for 90% of
possible poisonings. This kit
needs constant renewing and must
be kept up to date. The Squad
is also equipped with crutches
that may be borrowed upon re-quest.
The Community can thank this
Squad of volunteers, one of the
vital services of the East Rock-away
Volunteer Fire Depart-ment's
services, under Chief Jo-hn
T. Wright, for saving many
lives. Because of the Rescue
Squad, the Community can feeP
sure of adequate protection in
any emergency.
LYNBROOK HIGH SCHOOL RECEIVES FLAG: At ceremonies last Saturday at the Winter Concert-Dance
presented by the High School and the Lynbrook Chapter of the American Field Service, a Brazilian Flag
was presented to the school on behalf of exchange student Ilse Coelho from Assis, Brazil, who is spending
this year attending LHS. Pictured above, Dalton Schmltt, a staff member of the Brazilian Consulate in
New York City, presents the flag to Miss Coelho, who accepted on behalf of th4 school. Looking on (left
to right) are Hank Simons, President of the Lynbrook Chapter of the American Field Service; Walter
Hawthorne, Principal of the High School and Mayor George Mangravite.
MOTHERS MARCH: The scene Is outside the Lindner PL school in
Malverne as mothers picket to protest the transfer of children to
Woodfleld Road school.