Dublin Core
Title
Box 1, Folder 20, Document 79
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Text
February 5, 1969
Mr. Alan Shaw
136 Peachtree Memorial Drive, N. W.
Apartment H-11
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
Dear Mr. Shaws:
Thank you very much for your recent letter to Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr.,
which has been forwarded to this department.
I, too, sincerely appreciate your bringing this matter to my
attention and you may rest assured a full investigation is under
way regarding the use of the word "nigger" twice in the presence
ef out-of-town guests and tourists attending the Cyclorama lecture.
You are certainly right that there is a definite lack of sophisti-
cation and culture on the part of some of the Cyclorama lecturers.
I hesitate to make this admission, but it is a fact and one that has
been vividly brought to the attention of the City for many years.
On one occasion when a vacancy existed at the Cyclorama, the Personnel
Department somehow failed to list the salary in the want ads, The
applicants who responded to the advertisement were well-groomed,
educated ladies «~~ the type you would typically expect to run into
when buying a plane ticket or renting a U+Drive-It. This is the
type of employee we would hope to have at the Cyclorama, but the
present salary schedule simply will not attract that type of person.
I will say in some limited defense of the ledies presently assigned
to Grant Park that they have, in most instances, displayed a keen
interest in their work. Several of them have traveled (at their
own expense) to meet various individuals who worked on the foreground
and on the painting itself.
Bach year we have approximately 300,000 paid visitors go through
the Cyclorama and out of that number we will receive some six com-
plaints in writing. This is six complaints too many, for I fully
realize that for every citizen who will take time, as you have done,
to bring a problem to the attention of the City, there are hundreds
who are indifferent or who will not take the trouble. Thus, we
stay constantly concerned about the conduct of all of our employees
in the various eleven division of this department. The reoccuring
Mr. Alan Shaw - 2-= February 5, 1969
complaint on the part of most visitors who do write us is that
the attendants were “rude.”
We have insisted to our employees, who were under Civil Service,
that the Cyclorama is one place that most ali visitors to Atlanta
go. Thus, in many cases it is the only impression a stranger
will receive of our community. For something to spoil this
impression or to injure the rapport we know an out-of-towner
feels with our City is simply tragic. I pledge to you a renewed
effort on my part to see that the Cyclorama is operated in some
quality manner.
Finally, you can rest assured that the Assistant General Manager
of Parks for field operations will personally attempt to deter~
mine which lecturer used the word "nigger," and disciplinary
ection will be brought against that person.
Sincerely,
Jack C. Delius
Generali Manager of
Parks and Recreation
JCD: jw
cc: Honorable Ivan Allen, Jr., oie”
Mr. Pierce Whitley, Asst. Gen. Mgr. of Parks (w/encl.)
Mr. Alan Shaw
136 Peachtree Memorial Drive, N. W.
Apartment H-11
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
Dear Mr. Shaws:
Thank you very much for your recent letter to Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr.,
which has been forwarded to this department.
I, too, sincerely appreciate your bringing this matter to my
attention and you may rest assured a full investigation is under
way regarding the use of the word "nigger" twice in the presence
ef out-of-town guests and tourists attending the Cyclorama lecture.
You are certainly right that there is a definite lack of sophisti-
cation and culture on the part of some of the Cyclorama lecturers.
I hesitate to make this admission, but it is a fact and one that has
been vividly brought to the attention of the City for many years.
On one occasion when a vacancy existed at the Cyclorama, the Personnel
Department somehow failed to list the salary in the want ads, The
applicants who responded to the advertisement were well-groomed,
educated ladies «~~ the type you would typically expect to run into
when buying a plane ticket or renting a U+Drive-It. This is the
type of employee we would hope to have at the Cyclorama, but the
present salary schedule simply will not attract that type of person.
I will say in some limited defense of the ledies presently assigned
to Grant Park that they have, in most instances, displayed a keen
interest in their work. Several of them have traveled (at their
own expense) to meet various individuals who worked on the foreground
and on the painting itself.
Bach year we have approximately 300,000 paid visitors go through
the Cyclorama and out of that number we will receive some six com-
plaints in writing. This is six complaints too many, for I fully
realize that for every citizen who will take time, as you have done,
to bring a problem to the attention of the City, there are hundreds
who are indifferent or who will not take the trouble. Thus, we
stay constantly concerned about the conduct of all of our employees
in the various eleven division of this department. The reoccuring
Mr. Alan Shaw - 2-= February 5, 1969
complaint on the part of most visitors who do write us is that
the attendants were “rude.”
We have insisted to our employees, who were under Civil Service,
that the Cyclorama is one place that most ali visitors to Atlanta
go. Thus, in many cases it is the only impression a stranger
will receive of our community. For something to spoil this
impression or to injure the rapport we know an out-of-towner
feels with our City is simply tragic. I pledge to you a renewed
effort on my part to see that the Cyclorama is operated in some
quality manner.
Finally, you can rest assured that the Assistant General Manager
of Parks for field operations will personally attempt to deter~
mine which lecturer used the word "nigger," and disciplinary
ection will be brought against that person.
Sincerely,
Jack C. Delius
Generali Manager of
Parks and Recreation
JCD: jw
cc: Honorable Ivan Allen, Jr., oie”
Mr. Pierce Whitley, Asst. Gen. Mgr. of Parks (w/encl.)
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