Word: rozella
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...first calls went to a loyal McPherson alumna, Rozella Switzer, the town's Democratic postmistress. Rozella, a widow in her 40's, runs an efficient post office, smokes Pall Malls, drinks an occasional bourbon & coke, likes politics and people. She was curious about the African students and invited them over. Two nights later they sat comfortably around her living room, sipping coffee, browsing through her books, listening to her records-and talking...
What they said was an earful. Nigeria, they told Rozella, is surging toward its own nationalism. "We are struggling for independence," Isaac Grillo explained. "We won't stop. That is why we want education-to help with the revolution." They told about their Nigerian friends who study in Communist countries, come back home "with plenty of money for political activity" and hot with praise for the Communists. They read Rozella an editorial from the West African Pilot, written by their hero, Nnamdi Azikiwe, known as "Zik." Zik, they said, is a nonCommunist, but he hates...
...Rozella told the story: "Discrimination always makes me mad. But this was different. This made me scared. All they knew about America was what they knew about McPherson. For the first time I really saw how important little things, a long way off, can be. We had to fight a one-town skirmish away out here in the middle of the United States...
...Nuts?" Next morning Rozella was on the telephone to Luther Palmer, the manager of the C. R. Anthony Department Store. "Luther," she said, "would you spend 50 bucks to help stop a war that's going to cost billions?" "Are you nuts?" snapped Luther. Replied Rozella: "We've got a chance to whip some Communists, and all we have to do is act like Christians." She urged Luther to "act" by kicking in for winter clothes. In some bewilderment he agreed. Then Rozella called up other merchants-J. C. McDonnell Co., J. C. Penney, Morris & Sons-and told...
...following weeks Rozella moved through McPherson as relentlessly as a combine, trying to straighten things out for the Nigerians. She ran into trouble. Shorty the barber agreed to cut the boys' hair, but other barbers began spreading the word that "Shorty is cutting niggers' hair." Said Shorty sadly: "It hurt my business. Even some preachers told me I was doing the wrong thing." One minister warned Rozella: "We must be careful we're not called Communists...