LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, Feb. 7
Vivid memories of a great lady
To the editor:
A remarkable person, Susie Waxwood, died the other day remarkable because her 103-year life span carried her from a loving childhood in a prominent family in her Louisiana community, to rejection because of her race when she first moved to Princeton as the bride of Howard Waxwood, to becoming the first African American executive director of a YWCA in the United States. In all of these roles, Susie held firmly to the belief she and Howard shared that people should be judged by their abilities, not by their race.
During the turbulent ’60s I worked for four years under Susie’s direction at the Princeton YWCA. During that time, I was amazed at her management skills in working with the big picture and frustrated by her total disinterest in the details of everyday administration. But with the big picture, there was no one better than Susie. She immediately recognized a good idea when she heard one; she knew how to work with the board of directors to get the idea approved; she delegated the carrying out of the idea to the appropriate staff member, and gave her full interest and support to that staff member as she carried out the idea. Under this big-picture management system, the YWCA:
Reworked its class registration process to enable each and every member an equal opportunity to enroll in a class;
Completely reorganized its summer camp program to be fiscally sound and to enable any interested teen YWCA member to apply for a counselor position;
Initiated a Head Start-type early childhood development program for disadvantaged children, before the Head Start programs started in Mercer County;
Carried the lead in persuading the New Jersey Legislature to pass pro-choice legislation and the governor to sign it;
Supported every initiative in the Princeton community to expand opportunity for everyone in Princeton regardless of race; and
Gave the FBI something to do when the YWCA invited the Soviet Union to have a display of crafts at the YWCA’s international craft fair.
I last saw Susie the week after her 103rd birthday. We discussed Jane Fonda’s autobiography, a book she had asked me to get for her. As I turned to go, Susie touched my arm. "You know what the best part of being 103 has been?" she asked. "No, what?" I replied. "Knowing I’m 103," she said.
She was indeed a great lady.
Jean A. Starks
Heathcote Road
South Brunswick
Style no substitute for SAT substance
To the editor:
In her letter to the editor (The Packet, Jan. 13), Assistant Superintendent Jane Plenge claimed that Montgomery’s educators "continue to maintain and augment SAT preparation services for our students." She then proceeded to provide a lengthy list of various SAT programs and initiatives. The list seemed impressive. Dr. Plenge seemed to have successfully refuted my contention that Montgomery’s once-vaunted SAT machine had been dismantled.
Unfortunately, facts can be very stubborn. A closer look at the facts reveals that Dr. Plenge’s list is little more than a façade of bullet points. Here are the facts behind her façade:
The Princeton Review Dr. Plenge never fails to note that the district is now "working with the Princeton Review to make their program available on site." What Dr. Plenge neglects to mention is that only a handful of students are taking advantage of this supposed opportunity. She also neglects to explain why the district’s highly paid directors have failed to step up and help our students. And, finally, she completely fails to understand that calling in the Princeton Review is a disgraceful abrogation of responsibility.
The After-School Program Montgomery’s after-school program was once the driving force in the district’s SAT program. It was offered almost every day and on many evenings. The current program is offered twice a week. The Montgomery News recently published an editorial cartoon drawn by a student that showed a packed SAT prep classroom last year juxtaposed with a nearly empty SAT prep classroom this year. The students know the truth; very few are attending this year’s after-school SAT classes.
The Actual SAT Scores Dr. Plenge’s claim that the "SAT program remains strong in Montgomery" is not supported by the actual scores. These scores are now available and they paint a very disturbing picture:
The SAT average for the Class of 2005 is 1244, No. 1 in the state. The average for the Class of 2006 is 1181, and will probably place MHS somewhere between 12th and 15th. (Note that this average is unofficial and does not include results from the Jan. 28 test.) The PSAT average for the Class of 2007, 1121, will probably place MHS somewhere between 35th and 40th. And the PSAT average for the Class of 2008, 1074, will place MHS out of the top 50.
There is an important difference between style and substance. Montgomery High School achieved its goal of becoming No. 1 because of hard work and a commitment to excellence. The taxpayers, parents and most of all the students of Montgomery Township deserve and hopefully will demand more than a façade of bullet points.
Larry Krieger
Morgan Road
Flemington
State of the union evokes a simile
To the editor:
George W. Bush criticizing Americans for being addicted to oil is sort of like Dr. Kevorkian complaining that all his patients are dying.
Eddie Konczal
First Avenue
Monroe