ROANOKE TIMES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, October 3, 1993                   TAG: 9310030058
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: E-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: KAREN BARNES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium


HARRIS BUILDS BONDS BETWEEN BUSINESS, ROANOKE SCHOOLS

Roanoke City schools Superintendent E. Wayne Harris praised strong business and community ties in the Roanoke Valley on Saturday evening before a gathering of Lucy Addison High School alumni and political leaders.

Citing the high level of cooperation, he categorized this area as one of the best in the nation. But he promised to make the school system more efficient and challenging. "We will take the foundation we have and build a skyscraper than can be seen past the Roanoke Valley," he told the crowd of almost 150. "We have to think beyond the Roanoke Valley."

Since his acceptance of the post July 1, Harris has made his presence felt, said George Franklin, of the Lucy Addison Heritage Association.

The occasion was a celebration not only of Harris' new administration and lofty aspirations but also of the greater visibility of African-Americans in local politics. "It was a joy to pick up the newspaper and see that one of our own has come home to work with us, to help us and to rescue our children," said Frances Chubb, a member of Phi Delta Kappa, an educational organization.

Charles Day, chairman of the Roanoke School Board, reaffirmed the board's confidence in Harris' leadership. "It's almost as if he'd been groomed to become superintendent of Roanoke's schools," he said.

Harris, a native of Salem and a Carver High School graduate, formerly worked as area superintendent of the Fairfax County schools.

Antoinette Hale, who graduated from Addison in the 1950s, said having an African-American superintendent and school board chairman is a natural progression.

She recalled her high school days with ease. "It was great," she said. "It was a segregated school, but in many ways, compared to what's going on today, it was more wholesome."

Local business representatives pledged support of such programs as seminars for high school upperclassmen on handling personal banking and allowing them to enroll in college courses at Virginia Western Community College.

Herbert Chappelle, president of the Minority Business Network, asked Harris to ensure a good education for tomorrow's business people. "We still, as minorities, do not get the amount of business we should," he said. "That's true - locally, nationally and statewide."

Florence Farley, president of the Addison Board of Directors, asked for more direct support - emotional as well as financial. Bosses should ask their student workers, "Did you go to school every day this week? Is your homework done? Why not bring your report card in?" she said.



 by CNB