DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Burlington Commission on Human Rights, 1964-1965

Transcribe
Translate

Burlington Commission on Human Rights, 1964-1965

At Work in Industry Today Page 10

[photo to right]
Clothilde Henry

Education key to Negro aims, says customer service employee.

Not long after 19-year-old Clothilde Henry started to work at General Electric's new Housewares Servicenter in New York's Grand central Station, a visitor from France came in with a problem. Actually, he had two problems. First, he wanted to know where he could buy a GE automatic blanket. Second, he spoke no English. Miss Henry put her four years of French study to work. within a few minutes a pleased customer was on his way to make his purchase.
     The incident gave Miss Henry the chance to combine her ultimate job goal with her present job responsibilities. Right now, as a General Electric customer service representative, she's in the business of pleasing GE customers. Ultimately, after she completes three more college years of language study, Miss Henry hopes to become a translator.
     She joined General Electric after completing her freshman year at Albany State Teacher's College, where she studied languages. She's a graduate of New York Cathedral High School for Girls, just two doors away from General Electric's headquarters building.
     She's determined to complete her college work, probably through night courses, and then enter then translating field. She's convinced that more education is the best route to success for young Negroes like herself. Says Miss Henry: "Now more than ever, Negroes must get the education needed to take on new responsibilities. This is the only way we're going to be able to achieve our goals."
     At the General Electric Servicenter, Miss Henry and her colleagues are providing fast, reliable service on General Electric's small electric appliances (coffeemakers, toasters, fans, etc.). Many of the 2 1/2 million people who pass through Grand Central each week drop off an appliance for repair on their way to work and pick it up on the way home. With its modern lighting, impressive displays and pastel decor, the Servicenter looks like a handsome Fifth Avenue shop. However Miss Henry and her associates sell no products (except parts); their main job is to deal with customer problems.
     "The people here handle customers with velvet gloves," says Miss Henry. "We truly treat customers like customers. This has really impressed me."
     In her off-hours Miss Henry writes short stories and poetry (for her own pleasure rather than for publication) and is a heavy reader. Her present favorites are John Steinbeck and the French philosopher, Jean Paul Sartre ("In the original if I'm feeling alert and in English if I'm feeling lazy.")

[photo to right]
John D. Howard

He acquires education to 'have something to sell worth buying'

John Howard, already a veteran of six years' service with General Electric Company, received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Union College in Schenectady in June, 1964. He now has a job designing high-power vacuum tubes at General Electric's Schenectady manufacturing complex.
     Back in 1955 when he was graduated from high school in Toronto, Ohio (with top grades in college preparatory courses), John couldn't afford college. Instead, he came to Schenectady and signed up for General Electric's apprentice training program. Along with his courses at GE, which included drafting, machine shop operations and work as a laboratory technician, he studied nights at Union College, and after a four year period he had the equivalent of two full years of college-- and he had set a little money aside.
     In 1962 he decided to go for broke. With General Electric's encouragement, Mr. Howard took a two-year educational leave of absence, during which he attended college full time and worked part time in the Company's Advanced Technology Laboratories.
     "The most important thing," he said, "is for high school students to keep at the books and get grades that are good enough to allow them to get accepted at some college. This is the biggest factor. There is no problem in financing for anyone who has the initiative to look into the opportunities that are available.
     "Companies like GE are looking for qualified prospects," John Howard says. "You have to have something to sell that's worth buying."

10

Saving...

[photo to right] Clothilde Henry Education key to Negro aims, says customer service employee. Not long after 19-year-old Clothilde Henry started to work at General Electric's new Housewares Servicenter in New York's Grand central Station, a visitor from France came in with a problem. Actually, he had two problems. First, he wanted to know where he could buy a GE automatic blanket. Second, he spoke no English. Miss Henry put her four years of French study to work. within a few minutes a pleased customer was on his way to make his purchase. The incident gave Miss Henry the chance to combine her ultimate job goal with her present job responsibilities. Right now, as a General Electric customer service representative, she's in the business of pleasing GE customers. Ultimately, after she completes three more college years of language study, Miss Henry hopes to become a translator. She joined General Electric after completing her freshman year at Albany State Teacher's College, where she studied languages. She's a graduate of New York Cathedral High School for Girls, just two doors away from General Electric's headquarters building. She's determined to complete her college work, probably through night courses, and then enter then translating field. She's convinced that more education is the best route to success for young Negroes like herself. Says Miss Henry: "Now more than ever, Negroes must get the education needed to take on new responsibilities. This is the only way we're going to be able to achieve our goals." At the General Electric Servicenter, Miss Henry and her colleagues are providing fast, reliable service on General Electric's small electric appliances (coffeemakers, toasters, fans, etc.). Many of the 2 1/2 million people who pass through Grand Central each week drop off an appliance for repair on their way to work and pick it up on the way home. With its modern lighting, impressive displays and pastel decor, the Servicenter looks like a handsome Fifth Avenue shop. However Miss Henry and her associates sell no products (except parts); their main job is to deal with customer problems. "The people here handle customers with velvet gloves," says Miss Henry. "We truly treat customers like customers. This has really impressed me." In her off-hours Miss Henry writes short stories and poetry (for her own pleasure rather than for publication) and is a heavy reader. Her present favorites are John Steinbeck and the French philosopher, Jean Paul Sartre ("In the original if I'm feeling alert and in English if I'm feeling lazy.") [photo to right] John D. Howard He acquires education to 'have something to sell worth buying' John Howard, already a veteran of six years' service with General Electric Company, received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Union College in Schenectady in June, 1964. He now has a job designing high-power vacuum tubes at General Electric's Schenectady manufacturing complex. Back in 1955 when he was graduated from high school in Toronto, Ohio (with top grades in college preparatory courses), John couldn't afford college. Instead, he came to Schenectady and signed up for General Electric's apprentice training program. Along with his courses at GE, which included drafting, machine shop operations and work as a laboratory technician, he studied nights at Union College, and after a four year period he had the equivalent of two full years of college-- and he had set a little money aside. In 1962 he decided to go for broke. With General Electric's encouragement, Mr. Howard took a two-year educational leave of absence, during which he attended college full time and worked part time in the Company's Advanced Technology Laboratories. "The most important thing," he said, "is for high school students to keep at the books and get grades that are good enough to allow them to get accepted at some college. This is the biggest factor. There is no problem in financing for anyone who has the initiative to look into the opportunities that are available. "Companies like GE are looking for qualified prospects," John Howard says. "You have to have something to sell that's worth buying." 10