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Burlington Commission on Human Rights, 1964-1965

At Work in Industry Today Page 25

     Dorothy Whiten has had four promotions since then and plans to seek further advancement in quality control studies at one of the evening colleges.
     She is married and lives with her husband and four sons in West Philadelphia. She satisfies a love of music as a member of the Singing city chorus, a group of 105 people who have appeared on the Ed Sullivan show and with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

[photo to right]
Paul Whitenier

Former car washer and cabbie becomes development engineer

Paul Whiteneir, a development engineer in the Television Receiver Department, feels that the designation "Equal Opportunity Employer" used today by General Electric and many other companies means just that--provided an applicant has the needed qualifications.
     Mr. Whiteneir is qualified to speak both from his own experience (he has interviewed with almost 50 large and small companies since graduation from the University of Illinois), and from his work as education and employment chairman in the NAACP Chapter at the university. From some of the firms he interviewed, he received job offers; from others he did not. As he points out, "I wasn't the man some of those companies were looking for. Not because of my race, but just because my qualifications and training didn't meet their needs at the time." Paul Whiteneir feels that "it is important for young Negroes to realize that just because a company says 'no,' is no reason to feel they are discriminating because of race." He advises: "Look instead at your own qualifications."
     And he knows something about qualifications too. Only a few years ago his were only sufficient to get him a job washing cars and driving a taxi.
     Mr. Whiteneir dropped out of high school at age 14. His father's health failed and young Paul felt he might be able to help. So he lied about his age and joined the Air Force where he was sent to radio maintenance school, and put on a job where he worked for officers and industry representatives with technical degrees. Two young lieutenants took an interest in him and encouraged him to return to school and go on for a college degree. After passing the military's GED test which Mr. Whiteneir describes as, "...theoretically --and only theoretically--the equivalent of a high school diploma ... " he was released from service to pursue his education under the GI bill.
     He was admitted to the University of Illinois Center in Chicago for one semester on the strength of his GED test, but was placed on probation with the understanding that he much achieve at least all "C's" to stay in. "I soon found myself over my head in everything," he remembers. Despite many hours of hard work one "D" in chemistry flunked him out of the university --but he didn't quit.
     On the advice of the dean, Paul Whiteneir entered Illinois Institute of Technology for the summer term, and Wilson Jr. College in Chicago for the next full academic year. Again, he was on probation, but this time he found himself academically and earned better than a "B" average for the year, and in 1958 was readmitted to Chicago Center of the University of Illinois.
     Then by 1960 with a wife and one child now in the picture, financial difficulties caught up with him and he had to drop out of school. He washed cars at $1.00 per hour and drove a taxi. In the summer he was a letter carrier by day and a student at Illinois Institute of technology by night. In the fall he tried to stretch the finances to cover full time enrollment at Roosevelt University, but was forced to drop out again after a month.
     At this point, "the future began to look very dark" as Mr. Whiteneir realized that taxi driving was barely going to support his family and give him no opportunity to save for school. But assistance in the form of lodging for a time came from an aunt of his wife, and from his father who was able to loan him enough to transport the family to the University of Illinois campus at Urbana-Champaign.
     During the last year and a half at his college he held many part time jobs. His wife did baby sitting and took in ironing, and money, of course, was always tight. The university was a great help according to him in getting jobs and arranging loans. He got a long term National Defense Loan and many short-term loans. Paul Whiteneir praises General Electric and the other companies who see fit to make monies available to colleges for these short-term loans which meant so much to him.
     Finally, February 1963, brought his electrical engineering degree from the University of Illinois and realization of a long term goal for him. But by  now he had set another -- his master's, and while employed by his first post-graduate employer in Boston, he completed two courses toward that goal.
     After leaving his first engineering job, Paul Whiteneir applied to General Electric and accepted his current job in Syracuse.

[photo to left]
Charles E. Williams

Computer beckon him to career in rapidly expanding business

With a brand new degree in accounting from Arizona State college, Charles E. Williams had about made up his mind on a career as a public accountant when he was drafted into the army in 1959.
     As has happened to others before him, however, Mr. Williams' two years in the army resulted in a change in plans. While in service he became a proficient data processing equipment operator. He was soon convinced that the promising new computer industry was the place for him. When he left the Army in 1962 he applied for a job at General Electric's Computer Department in Phoenix.
     With his education and Army experi-

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Dorothy Whiten has had four promotions since then and plans to seek further advancement in quality control studies at one of the evening colleges. She is married and lives with her husband and four sons in West Philadelphia. She satisfies a love of music as a member of the Singing city chorus, a group of 105 people who have appeared on the Ed Sullivan show and with the Philadelphia Orchestra. [photo to right] Paul Whitenier Former car washer and cabbie becomes development engineer Paul Whiteneir, a development engineer in the Television Receiver Department, feels that the designation "Equal Opportunity Employer" used today by General Electric and many other companies means just that--provided an applicant has the needed qualifications. Mr. Whiteneir is qualified to speak both from his own experience (he has interviewed with almost 50 large and small companies since graduation from the University of Illinois), and from his work as education and employment chairman in the NAACP Chapter at the university. From some of the firms he interviewed, he received job offers; from others he did not. As he points out, "I wasn't the man some of those companies were looking for. Not because of my race, but just because my qualifications and training didn't meet their needs at the time." Paul Whiteneir feels that "it is important for young Negroes to realize that just because a company says 'no,' is no reason to feel they are discriminating because of race." He advises: "Look instead at your own qualifications." And he knows something about qualifications too. Only a few years ago his were only sufficient to get him a job washing cars and driving a taxi. Mr. Whiteneir dropped out of high school at age 14. His father's health failed and young Paul felt he might be able to help. So he lied about his age and joined the Air Force where he was sent to radio maintenance school, and put on a job where he worked for officers and industry representatives with technical degrees. Two young lieutenants took an interest in him and encouraged him to return to school and go on for a college degree. After passing the military's GED test which Mr. Whiteneir describes as, "...theoretically --and only theoretically--the equivalent of a high school diploma ... " he was released from service to pursue his education under the GI bill. He was admitted to the University of Illinois Center in Chicago for one semester on the strength of his GED test, but was placed on probation with the understanding that he much achieve at least all "C's" to stay in. "I soon found myself over my head in everything," he remembers. Despite many hours of hard work one "D" in chemistry flunked him out of the university --but he didn't quit. On the advice of the dean, Paul Whiteneir entered Illinois Institute of Technology for the summer term, and Wilson Jr. College in Chicago for the next full academic year. Again, he was on probation, but this time he found himself academically and earned better than a "B" average for the year, and in 1958 was readmitted to Chicago Center of the University of Illinois. Then by 1960 with a wife and one child now in the picture, financial difficulties caught up with him and he had to drop out of school. He washed cars at $1.00 per hour and drove a taxi. In the summer he was a letter carrier by day and a student at Illinois Institute of technology by night. In the fall he tried to stretch the finances to cover full time enrollment at Roosevelt University, but was forced to drop out again after a month. At this point, "the future began to look very dark" as Mr. Whiteneir realized that taxi driving was barely going to support his family and give him no opportunity to save for school. But assistance in the form of lodging for a time came from an aunt of his wife, and from his father who was able to loan him enough to transport the family to the University of Illinois campus at Urbana-Champaign. During the last year and a half at his college he held many part time jobs. His wife did baby sitting and took in ironing, and money, of course, was always tight. The university was a great help according to him in getting jobs and arranging loans. He got a long term National Defense Loan and many short-term loans. Paul Whiteneir praises General Electric and the other companies who see fit to make monies available to colleges for these short-term loans which meant so much to him. Finally, February 1963, brought his electrical engineering degree from the University of Illinois and realization of a long term goal for him. But by now he had set another -- his master's, and while employed by his first post-graduate employer in Boston, he completed two courses toward that goal. After leaving his first engineering job, Paul Whiteneir applied to General Electric and accepted his current job in Syracuse. [photo to left] Charles E. Williams Computer beckon him to career in rapidly expanding business With a brand new degree in accounting from Arizona State college, Charles E. Williams had about made up his mind on a career as a public accountant when he was drafted into the army in 1959. As has happened to others before him, however, Mr. Williams' two years in the army resulted in a change in plans. While in service he became a proficient data processing equipment operator. He was soon convinced that the promising new computer industry was the place for him. When he left the Army in 1962 he applied for a job at General Electric's Computer Department in Phoenix. With his education and Army experi- 25