University of Virginia Library

Thomas Cites
Problems Of
'Estes Park'

By Phil Kimball
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

"Despite the weather, administrative
problems and the endless turmoil, the
people who came to Estes Park came with
the serious intent of dealing with the
pressing problems of the troubled nation
and with great hopes of getting something
accomplished and seeing changes made."

"The burden now lies not with Nixon
and the present administration alone, but
with the people of the United States."

15,000 People

This summation of the week long meeting of
fifteen thousand people, at the White House
Conference on Youth in Estes Park, Colorado
was made by John Thomas, a third year student
of the College.

Mr. Thomas was chosen to be a delegate to
the conference last August by Steve Hess, the
National Chairman of the Conference. He,
along with Dr. Robben Fleming of the
University of Michigan, co-chaired the task
forces of on Education, one of the ten task
forces into which the fifteen hundred people
were divided.

Task Forces

Along with Education, other task forces
focused on the problems facing American
society. They included task forces on Foreign
Relations, Environment, Race and Minority
Group Relations, Drugs, and Poverty. Other
task forces dealt with Values, Ethics, and
Culture; Legal Rights and Justice; Economy
and Employment and the Draft, National
Service and Alternatives.

Mr. Thomas who appeared on ABC's Issues
and Answers last Sunday, stated that he felt
that the task forces dealt only with problems
affecting minority groups in this country ad not
with the larger problems affecting the whole
country.

Domestic Problems

"Sometimes we use the Viet Nam issue to
cloud important domestic problems such as
hunger." stated Mr. Thomas.

"Recommendations from the conference
will not only go to Nixon but to the whole
country." stated Mr. Thomas. "They will be
published in book form, as was the Kerner
Report, and will be dissimulated through state
committee channels to governors and local
governments."

'Power Structure'

"Of the fifteen hundred people at the
conference, five hundred were adults chosen
because they represented the 'power structure'
of the country." Mr. Thomas said. "Because of
this, the recommendations put forth by the
conference will probably be seriously reviewed
by decision makers on all levels of
government."

In the prologue of the Education task force
report Mr. Thomas stated that "The success of
the United States depends today, as always on
the power of unity and the strength which
comes from confidence"