Interview with Elizabeth Gray Samuel Weinstein [electronic resource] 8 April 2004 / interviewer: Christina Wright ; transcriber: Breona Barr.

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Interview with Elizabeth Gray Samuel Weinstein [electronic resource] 8 April 2004 / interviewer: Christina Wright ; transcriber: Breona Barr.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/567441117

Ms Elizabeth (Gray) Weinstein opens by describing her childhood growing up in the Derita neighborhood of Mecklenburg County, N.C. She describes a close, supportive neighborhood where adults watched out for all the children and people helped needy families. When she was five years old, her mother opened a little store for her where she sold bread, cookies, candies, cold drinks, and ice cream. When her father became disabled, he took over the store. Ms Weinstein lovingly describes her school memories. She speaks highly of "marvelous memories" of the Rockwell Rosenwald School in Hemphill Heights, including even walking to school. She describes the physical layout in detailing, mentioning certain requirements of all Rosenwald schools. Ms Weinstein reminisces about playground games and activities centered around May Day celebrations. She also speaks fondly of her teachers, claiming that they were all enthusiastic and that discipline was not a problem. She said children were taught to live in the Christian way, emphasizing honesty, morality, and ethics. Parents supported the PTA and teachers and parents were also friends in the community. Ms Weinstein continues her description of her school history with her years at Torrence Lytle High School. She attended Barber Scotia College on a scholarship and went on to teach at Lincoln Heights and Double Oaks. Ms Weinstein relates moving to New York City after she married her second husband, where she became a graduate student at Columbia University. She recall this as being the first time she had the opportunity to teach in an integrated school, which she did for about 10 years before becoming principal of PS156 (Waverly School). Ms Weinstein talks about her teaching style, her preferences for handling children, and how she treated her teachers with respect. Her mother taught her not to dislike anyone based on color. Ms Weinstein's family included whites. She also had white friends and supportive adults. She claims inspiration from Julius Rosenwald (a white), Martin Luther King, and her teachers. Hugh McColl set an example that she always remembered. Ms Weinstein concludes the interview with a short discussion of the condition of today's schools and what changes need to be made. She also regrets that Charlotte newcomers are causing the city to lose its southern flavor.

University of North Carolina, Charlotte, J. Murrey Atkins Library

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SNAC Resource ID: 7756452

University of North Carolina, Charlotte, J. Murrey Atkins Library

Related Entities

There are 13 Entities related to this resource.

Columbia University

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The Columbia University community and administration mobilized to the fullest extent in answer to the entry of the United States into World War I. Summed up by President Nicholas Murray Butler in the 1918 Annual Report, the effects of the war on the University were far-reaching: "Students by the hundred and prospective students by the thousand entered the military, naval, or civil service of the United States; teachers and administrative officers to the number of nearly four hundred...

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

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King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968

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Martin Luther King, Jr. (b. January 15, 1929, Atlanta, Georgia –d. April 4, 1968, Memphis, Tennessee) was an American Baptist minister and activist who was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience. King helped to organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. In 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize and in 1965, he helped to organize the Selma to M...

Double Oaks Elementary School (Charlotte, N.C.)

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Wright, Christina A.

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Weinstein, Elizabeth Gray Samuel.

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Ms Elizabeth (Gray) Weinstock was born in Charlotte, N.C. and grew up in the Derita neighborhood. She went to Barber Scotia College and earned her master's degree in early childhood education from Columbia University. She became a teacher, and later a principal, in New York City. At the time of this interview, Ms Weinstein was living in retirement in Charlotte, N.C. From the description of Interview with Elizabeth Gray Samuel Weinstein [electronic resource] 8 April 2004 / interviewer...

Rockwell Rosenwald School (Mecklenburg County, N.C.)

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6v4588r (corporateBody)

New South Voices (Project)

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Lincoln Heights Elementary School (Charlotte, N.C.)

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Torrence-Lytle High School (Mecklenburg County, N.C.)

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McColl, Hugh L. (Hugh Leon), 1935-

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PS156 (New York, N.Y.)

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Rosenwald, Julius, 1862-1932

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6621p92 (person)

Businessman and philanthropist. Born, Springfield, IL, 1862. President, Rosenwald and Weil, 1885-1906. Vice-president and treasurer, Sears, Roebuck and Company, 1910-1925; president and chairman of the board, 1925-1932. Founder, Julius Rosenwald Fund, 1917. Founder, Museum of Science and Industry, 1929. Trustee, University of Chicago, Tuskegee Institute, Rockefeller Foundation, Hull House, Art Institute of Chicago, and the Baron de Hirsch Fund. From the description of Papers, 1905-19...