University of Virginia Library

Editorial Inaccuracy

Responsible reporting requires
that a newspaper make sure of its
facts before it goes to press. By this
standard your editorial of November
1st was lacking, as a telephone
call to the Director of the University
of Virginia Hospital, the manager
of the Beauty Shop, or me would
have shown the inaccuracy of several
of the statements you make as
fact. Please allow me space to reply.

The Beauty Shop at the University
of Virginia Hospital is one of
the several moneymaking operations
which enables our Auxiliary
to give substantially to the Hospital
- last year over $23,000, in addition
to the many services our volunteers
offer to patients and staff.
The service of our volunteers is
given freely and generously
throughout the Hospital to people
of all races, and we are grateful that
our volunteers themselves include
women of several races, including
Negro.

Space at the Hospital is at a
premium, as every doctor, nurse, or
employee knows. Each of our shops
would like to expand, but it has not
been possible. The Beauty Shop
occupies a space of 11 feet, six
inches by 17 feet, six inches, in
which three beauticians work. In
addition, they give bedside care to
patients who cannot come to the
shop.

The clientele of the Beauty
Shop is approximately as follows:
15% patients, 15% visitors, and 70%
employees or staff. All of our operators
have stated to me that they
are willing to work on the hair of
Negro customers whose hair is sufficiently
straight for them to be
confident of success with it. Mrs.
Clements in her letter to you acknowledges
that "curly type hair is
of a different procedure than the
Caucasian hair."

Upon a very few occasions we
have declined to work on hair with
which we knew we could not succeed,
but in the past year we have
given hair care to at least four
patients, one employee (who is a
regular customer) and one visitor
who were Negro. The most recent
was only a week ago when the
NAACP convention was held at the
University.

I consider it unfortunate that
the high philosophical tone of your
editorial remarks was not equalled
by a sense of justice which would
have prompted you to ask your
questions to us before putting them
in print.

Mrs. Frederic W. Scott
President
University Hospital
Auxiliary

The editorial made no statements
about the hospital as fact. It
rather asked for a report on the
situation involved from someone
who knew. You have provided us
with that report, and we thank you
for it. -ed.