The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 25

1 Board Puts Off Hot Proposal On Final Exams i Jl I I MA -ryn If5 I i. 'if if effectiveness if the administration is for it but it has no backers" to make it work. In other business yesterday, the board voted to ask the State Education Department for waivers on state facility requirements at 13 Metro schools. The waivers ranged from overcrowded conditions at several schools to a problem at one school which has only a two-compartment sink instead of the required three. The board approved a $32,000 study of employment demands and interests of the community and of the organization of the present vocational education program in Metro.

EXTENDED LEAVE was granted to North High Principal Riley Elliott and Patrick Lydon, assistant principal of Ewing Park Junior High School, to participate in the Ohio State University program for urban school principals. They will be on leave for 18 months, beginning next month. At the beginning of yesterday's meeting, the winners of the Future Homemakers of America Bake-In Contest were honored by the board. Prior to the meeting, the board members and staff tasted some of the entries baked by the winners, which included 12 female and three male chefs. StoH pKoto fcy Roy Cobb Resolved Naughty and Nice Question sugarplums nor sweet talk from the jolly old elf could change Trey's mind he just wants down.

Santa Clous has his hands full with a distressed Trey Dobbs, 13 months, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Zelman N. Dobbs Jr. of 4861 Cimarron Way.

Neither visions of The Wednesday If Dec. 18,1974 By FRANK SUTHERLAND Tmnriun Education Newt Editor The Metro Board of Education put off for another month yesterday a highly controversial proposal to modify the way final examinations are administered. With teachers and students strongly opposed to the proposal, the board seemed ready to vote down the measure until one member, Mrs. C. F.

Mager, exercised a personal privilege to delay the measure for one meeting. DR. ELBERT D. BROOKS, director of schools, proposed the measure which would have eliminated scheduled examination days and allowed teachers to schedule tests at their discretion during regular class periods. Brooks fought for the measure as long and as hard as any he has proposed since becoming director of schools.

But spokesmen before the board said polls showed teachers, principals and students against it by 70 to 80. The proposal has been under study for more than a year and a half. There were other proposals, originally made by the Curriculum Advisory Council to make such changes as replace the letter grade system, but these fell by the wayside. BROOKS HELD OUT for changing the examination days, though, saying students get no "feedback" from the test results. He emphasized that examinations would not be abolished, but the six days now set aside for semester examinations could be converted to instructional days.

The teachers, though the Metropolitan Education Association, argued that scheduled tests were needed because they could ask more in one and a half hour examination than they could in a 55-minute regular class period. The teachers also said they could not control students in a regular class period who had a test the next period and wanted to study for it. "THESE ARE HONEST differences of opinion," Brooks said, "but we are discussing a change, and sometimes that is painful." Although there may have been honest differences of opinion about the educational philosophy involved, there were also some selfish motives. The proposal would undoubtedly call for more effort from teachers. They now give five exams during the three-day period and use the remaining school day for grading and the tedious bookwork involved such as filling out report cards.

IF THE PROPOSAL passes, teachers would have to do their grading and bookwork all on their own time. On the other side, Brooks would like to see the six examination days converted to instructional days to give the school system a total of 171 days. Metro now has only 165 school days, and every year, Brooks notifies the State Department of Education that Metro is complying with the state law requiring 175 days of instruction. LORI ZAGER, a student at Hills-boro High School and vice president of the Student Inter-High Council, defended the present schedule eloquently and said she questions "the Deserter Advocates 'No-String' Amnesty Two Interstate Links in East Open Friday The final link of 1-75 between Knoxville and Chattanooga will be opened to traffic Friday along with most of 1-81 between Morristown and Kingsport, Gov. Winfield Dunn announced yesterday.

Dunn will participate in ceremonies opening those two interstate 'sections and also in a program opening the next to last section of 1-40 in Tennessee. The section stretches 22 miles from Knoxville to near Jefferson City. THE OPENING of 1-81 will take traffic off the often controversial U.S. Highway 11-W dubbed "Bloody 11-W" because of numerous fatalities ih recent years. While the opening will permit traffic to travel on the interstate between Blountville and Morristown, traffic will be restricted "to single lanes through some areas.

The section of 1-75 extends from near Athens to near Loudon, a distance of 32 miles. The only work remaining on that segment is the sealing of twin bridges over the Tennessee River. The work is being postponed until warmer weather. Some sections of 1-40 in Knox and Jefferson counties also have work remaining on them and will restrict traffic to single lanes until the work is completed. Dunn said he wanted to see the highway sections opened to traffic prior to the Christmas holiday traffic, particularly the section of 1-81 in Upper East Tennessee.

Savs Little Less Cold Expected Today tAfter what was expected to be the coldest night of the year, even the weather man hates to use the word to describe today's temperature. "Let's just say it will be a little less cold," said forecaster Cecil Palmer, who predicts temperatures in the 30s-40s range today with skies turning cloudy by nightfall. TOMORROW WILL be warmer and rainy, with temperatures reaching the low 50s. But you don't have to work for the weather bureau to know that yesterday was one of the coldest days of the season. Frosty windshields, red noses, buttoned-up overcoats and an icy wind attested to the low thermometer reading.

The temperature last night was expected to drop as low as 20 degrees. There were snow lurries tnrougn-out the day in Nashville, with an accumulation of one inch reported in Bethpage and an inch and a half in Lafayette. Small accumulations were also reported in Nashville, but most of it melted off as temperatures climbed above the freezing point. The record cold for Dec. 18 was four below zero in 1884, and the record high was 70 degrees in 1889.

Christmas By DWIGHT LEWIS Mrs. Lucille Dodd placed a four-foot high Christmas tree on her parents grave in Mt. Olivet Cemetery last Thursday but by Sunday thieves had apparently taken it away. Mrs. Dodd, of 2916 Lovewood Drive, said that when "my husband and sister came out to the Tennessee Preparatory School where I work and told me that the tree had been stolen, I could hardly believe them.

"I thought they were kidding," she said. "When I found out that they weren't kidding, I was shocked and started crying." MRS. DODD said she placed the tree on her parents grave because "they always liked to have a tree at Christmas time. I also placed it there for. sentimental reasons and because I care about them, "Anybody who would steal a tree off a grave can't get any lower," she said.

"I don't understand why people would do something like that." Mrs. Dodd said her husband called her from work yesterday morning and said he had bought another tree. "We plan to put it up next Monday and I dare anybody to steal it," she added. "There will be somebody watching the next one and if I see somebody messing with it I'm not ing to bother to iave them arrested, I guess I'll kill them." By KATHLEEN GALLAGHER Former U.S. Army deserter John David Herndon is trying to start an unconditional amnesty movement -for the men who served time in Vietnam and then deserted rather than go back.

"For draft resisters and those who deserted in the United States, the two years of alternative service wouldn't be too bad, but for those who already served in Vietnam and were faced with going back, I would say there should be no strings attached on coming back to the United States," said Herndon, a native of West Virginia who was the subject of a book by James Reston Jr. HERNDON SERVED 15 months in Vietnam before being transferred to Germany in 1970. Almost as soon as he got there he learned that he would be sent back to Vietnam. "They gave me a choice to go back to Vietnam or go to jail, so I went to France," Herndon recalled. There he was active in the war resistance movement, helping other "self-retired" GI's with red tape and work permits.

Reston's book, "The Amnesty of John David Herndon," focuses on Herndon's last week in Paris before returning to a military trial in the United States. Herndon was given a dishonorable conduct discharge, which he is appealing. Page 25 fill A A I noia maaam In Contempt, DA Requests By KENNETH JOST The district attorney' office asked Chancery Court yesterday to hold East Nashville madam Frances Jean Judkins in contempt of court for violating an injunction against operating a house of prostitution. The DA's office based the request on the Dec. 6 arrests of Miss Judkins' purported partner, Ronnie DAmnn Cforrrrc rrl turn Amnlniro? of Miss Judkins on prostitution cnaryes.

CHANCELLOR BEN H. Cantrell set a hearing for 3 p.m. Jan. 7, but took no action on the DA's request that Miss Judkins' establishment-located at 401 S. Fourth St.

be padlocked immediately. Cantrell issued a temporary in-'iunction Nov. 14 against Miss Judkins and the owner of the property, bondsman Edward Matheney, from operating a house of prostitution at the East Nashville address. At that time, Cantrell declined to padlock the premises, saying that he was "indulging the presumption" that Miss Judkins would comply with the order. STAGGS WAS a defendant in the DA's original suit, but was dismissed from the case because the Nov.

14 hearing produced no evidence linking him to the prostitution charges. The new petition, filed by Asst. Dist. Atty. Gen.

Richard P. McCully, was based on an investigation by Metro Youth Guidance Officer Don-nie Broadway and Sgt. Fulton Hall begun in the late evening hours of Dec. 5. Broadway said that he telephoned the number listed to Miss Judkins and spoke with Staggs to make arrangements for two women to meet him and another individual at the Albert Pick Motel, 320 Murfreesboro Road.

BROADWAY SAID he gave a false name in the conversation, which was recorded. A transcript was attached to the DA's petition. Two women Linda Lee Hoffman and Marcia Gail Larson arrived about 40 minutes later, Broadway said. He said the two women told him that it would cost about $100 per hour for a "real nice party," in which the two women would "swap up" with Broadway and the other individual. At this point, Broadway said he arrested the two women and radioed to Hall, who was on surveillance outside, to come up to the room.

AT THE police station, both women listed their addresses as 401 S. Fourth St. and their occupation as "laborer." Miss Hoffman said she had been arrested about three weeks earlier for loitering about a disorderly house in a raid on Miss Judkins establishment. Broadway said Staggs arrived at the booking room at this time and acknowledged having spoken with Broadway earlier. Staggs was thfn, 'arrested and charged with aiding and abetting prostitution.

Tree Taken From Grqvesite "I MADE the statement to the Army down there that I would go back to Vietnam if I thought I could help the people without killing people, but I wouldn't go back to ightan immoral war," he said. Herndon said he is in close contact with many American war resisters and deserters in Canada who are interested in coming back but fear they will be sent to jail. "President Ford's amnesty plan isn't taking into consideration the people that have already done their part," Herndon said. "This case-by-case processing is too expensive and will take too long. If they did bring a lot of people back and tried to process them too fast, they wouldn't get a fair trial.

I figure 907o of them would end up in jail." HERNDON SAID the only thing-that probably saved him from a jail sentence was the ti ming of his return in March 1972. "The presidential primaries were going on, and then there were the trials of Angela Davis and Lt. (William) Calley. Nobody wanted to deal with amnesty as an issue." Herndon, who formerly worked with a project in New York called Safe Return, said he is out of work now and is looking for funds for the return program. He is working with local lawyers to develop legal aid for returning former servicemen.

He can be reached at 270-A McGa-vock Pike. StoH photo Roy Cobb a Christmas tree over the weekend. John David Herndon "For those who served" Keep Old Oil Ceiling: Fulton Tenntnran Wishinglon Bureau WASHINGTON Rep. Richard Fulton, said yesterday the Ford administration should not abol ish the price ceiling that has kept "old" domestic oil at $5.25 per barrel. Fulton said decontrolling the price would result in a sharp jump in consumer prices.

Also, he said it could not be expected to encourage the development of new oil supplies, as the petroleum industry has claimed. "THE ADMINISTRATION repeatedly has called for a deregulation of natural gas, which many of us believe would cost the consumer about $55 billion over the first five years," he said. "Now there are indications that the administration wants to abolish the ceiling price of $5.25 a barrel for 'old' domestic he said. 'Now' oil, brought to production since the controls, is pegged by the market and currently sells at about the same price as a barrel of Arabian crude, somewhere, between $10 and $11 a barrel." Fulton said he is co-sponsoring legislation in the House to prevent the administration from decontrolling those fuel prices. Lawrence Road Department Broke LAWRENCEBURG, in the current fiscal year the Lawrence County Highway Department is broke and 44 men have been laid off, Roads Superintendent Dave Curtis said yesterday.

The layoffs came last Friday and only a skeletal crew consisting of seven foremen and Curtis remain on the payroll. "WE HAVEN'T got the money," explained County Court Judge Ed Beecham, saying the virtual shut-1 down of operations, which will come up for consideration by the county court at its Jan. 13 meeting, results from a sharp decrease in federal revenue funds approved by the court for the current fiscal year. Also contributing to the problem, he said, is the increase of costs on all items used by all departments of government. Guess I'll Kill Them' where thieves stole Mrs; Lucille Dodd places a vase of ffowers on the I tombstone of her parents grave in Mt.

Olivet Cemetery.