The Daily Express

Prepare Youth -Industrialist Warns

NASHVILLE, March 21 (Special)-- There was only one Negro dentist in the United States in 1950 for every 8,800 Negro population, as against one white dentist for every 1,752 of the nation's white population, Thomas Roy Jones, president of Daystrom, Incorporated, told a career conference of Negroes here today.

Citing other illustrations of the opportunities that exist for Negroes to plan careers in business and the professions, Jones pointed out there were only 150 Negro engineers graduated from our colleges last year, as against 52,500 white graduate engineers.

The conference was co-sponsored by the National Urban League and the Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial State College.

Stressing the advantages of an education, Jones emphasized that there were plenty of opportunities for the Negro youth of the country if they were willing to devote the time and energy to be prepared.

"Success may be 5 percent luck," he said, "but the other 50 percent is being ready for luck when it comes." Finding a job, Jones said, is really a selling job, and the job hunter must provide those things which his prospective employer is seeking.

This employer is looking, first of all, for a good measure of competence in chosen skills or fields, Jones told the students, but he is also looking for a pleasant and cooperative personality and is interested in the attitude of employees toward the world in general and whether they are carrying
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ing a chip on their shoulders. Prospective employers also hope that employees will have a good sense of judgment, Jones said, and are looking to them for initiative and imagination.
"You may face certain problems in your careers that others will not," Jones concluded. "You may need to show a little more courage and a little more initiative, but you can take courage from the great progress to date. Each day more and more employers are evaluating and interviewing Negro college graduates right along with white graduates . . Through opportunities such as this conference, you can learn much of what will be expected of you, but in the final analysis, the job is up to you."
Wednesday, March 21, 1951