January 19, 1969, Letter from Justice Thomas Jones to Al Vann announcing Jones's resignation from the Negotiation Team for Community College 7
Item
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'
" Supreme Court of tHe SratE or New York !
JUSTICES’ CHAMBERS aah 4 f
Brooktyn, N.Y. 1201
THOMAS RUSSELLJONES
JUSTICE
Personal § Unofficial ey ;
January 19, 1969 pee 7 :
Mr. Albert Vann, Chairman
Bedford Stuyvesant Coaliticn on Educational Needs § Services
268 Ashland Place - Room 602
Brooklyn, New York, 11217
Dear Mr. Vann:
I have now received your January 14th, 1969 response to my
January 2nd request that Mr. George Meares serve temporarily
in my place as a representative of the Bedford. Stuyvesant
estoration Corporation on the Negotiating Team of the Coali-
tion on Educational. Needs and Services. I regret.that the
Coalition members present at your last meeting decided to
refuse my request to have such a distinguished leader of Bed-
ford Stuyvesant as Mr. Meares play a role in selecting a
_ President for our new College No. 7. For you know that my
duties as a newly elected Justice of the Supreme Court of the
State of New York will not permit me to participate actively
- at this time. You must also be aware that the continuity and
support of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, so
fully at your disposal in the past, has now been made impos-
sible under the circumstances. . Unfortunately, our meaningful
cooperation will thus be interrupted. I respect your decision,
however, and hereby reluctantly tender my resignation as a
member of the Negotiating Team for the reason described in my
previous letter. ;
Kindly have this letter made a part of the records of the ss
Coalition at its next meeting. Will you also convey, my sin-
cere personal respects to all the dedicated leaders who have
. helped to bring us this far on the road to a college of excel-
lence in Bedford Stuyvesant. .
Yo $ truly, aos +7 coy os er heat ~
re, Fea We ee oo ee
ee A cee GENES , 4 jets i
Justice
“TRI:bk
Saladin
SuPREME CoURT OF THE SEATE OF NEW YORK : | ir
JUSTICES’ CHAMBERS
Brook yn, N.Y. 11201
THOMAS RUSSELLJONES
JUSTICE
Personal § Unofficial
January 19, 1969
TO: All Members of the Bedford: Stuyvesant Coalition
on Educational Needs § Services
FROM: Justice Thomas Russell Jones, Chairman, Bedford
Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
The attached letter of my resignation as a member of the
Bedford Stuyvesant Coalition on Educational Needs & Services
was sent to Mr. Albert Vann today in response to his letter
stating that the last meeting of the Coalition had refused
to allow Mr. George Meares, a Director of Restoration, to
serve as my proxy for the next period.
I compliment the members of the Coalition and their organizations
for the heroic efforts to win a community-controlled college of
“excellence to educate the youth of Bedford Stuyvesant. I assure.
you of my continued interest in and best wishes for the success
of this most important community enterprise. .
'
" Supreme Court of tHe SratE or New York !
JUSTICES’ CHAMBERS aah 4 f
Brooktyn, N.Y. 1201
THOMAS RUSSELLJONES
JUSTICE
Personal § Unofficial ey ;
January 19, 1969 pee 7 :
Mr. Albert Vann, Chairman
Bedford Stuyvesant Coaliticn on Educational Needs § Services
268 Ashland Place - Room 602
Brooklyn, New York, 11217
Dear Mr. Vann:
I have now received your January 14th, 1969 response to my
January 2nd request that Mr. George Meares serve temporarily
in my place as a representative of the Bedford. Stuyvesant
estoration Corporation on the Negotiating Team of the Coali-
tion on Educational. Needs and Services. I regret.that the
Coalition members present at your last meeting decided to
refuse my request to have such a distinguished leader of Bed-
ford Stuyvesant as Mr. Meares play a role in selecting a
_ President for our new College No. 7. For you know that my
duties as a newly elected Justice of the Supreme Court of the
State of New York will not permit me to participate actively
- at this time. You must also be aware that the continuity and
support of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, so
fully at your disposal in the past, has now been made impos-
sible under the circumstances. . Unfortunately, our meaningful
cooperation will thus be interrupted. I respect your decision,
however, and hereby reluctantly tender my resignation as a
member of the Negotiating Team for the reason described in my
previous letter. ;
Kindly have this letter made a part of the records of the ss
Coalition at its next meeting. Will you also convey, my sin-
cere personal respects to all the dedicated leaders who have
. helped to bring us this far on the road to a college of excel-
lence in Bedford Stuyvesant. .
Yo $ truly, aos +7 coy os er heat ~
re, Fea We ee oo ee
ee A cee GENES , 4 jets i
Justice
“TRI:bk
Saladin
SuPREME CoURT OF THE SEATE OF NEW YORK : | ir
JUSTICES’ CHAMBERS
Brook yn, N.Y. 11201
THOMAS RUSSELLJONES
JUSTICE
Personal § Unofficial
January 19, 1969
TO: All Members of the Bedford: Stuyvesant Coalition
on Educational Needs § Services
FROM: Justice Thomas Russell Jones, Chairman, Bedford
Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
The attached letter of my resignation as a member of the
Bedford Stuyvesant Coalition on Educational Needs & Services
was sent to Mr. Albert Vann today in response to his letter
stating that the last meeting of the Coalition had refused
to allow Mr. George Meares, a Director of Restoration, to
serve as my proxy for the next period.
I compliment the members of the Coalition and their organizations
for the heroic efforts to win a community-controlled college of
“excellence to educate the youth of Bedford Stuyvesant. I assure.
you of my continued interest in and best wishes for the success
of this most important community enterprise. .
Title
January 19, 1969, Letter from Justice Thomas Jones to Al Vann announcing Jones's resignation from the Negotiation Team for Community College 7
Description
On January 19, 1969 New York State Justice Thomas Jones wrote to Al Vann, Chairman of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Coalition for Educational Needs and Services (B-SCENS), resigning from his position as a member of the five-member Negotiation Team appointed to represent the Bedford-Stuyvesant community in plans and negotiations with City University of New York (CUNY) officials for Community College 7. Jones’s resignation letter marked the culmination of his correspondence with Vann over the past month, in which he had initially proposed to appoint a proxy to the Negotiation Team, a suggestion Vann rejected on procedural grounds. Although Jones apparently resigned from the Negotiation Team in this letter, he remained directly involved in public discussions about Community College 7, and was a key actor in a conflict that developed in the coming weeks between Bedford-Stuyvesant community leaders over plans for the new college.
In February 1968, the City University of New York (CUNY) announced plans to establish a new “Community College 7 in or near Bedford-Stuyvesant. . . oriented to the Bedford-Stuyvesant Community and operated in consultation with the community.” Representatives of a broad network of Central Brooklyn community organizations engaged in an 18 months-long negotiation with CUNY Board of Higher Education officials over CUNY’s plans for its newly announced “Community College 7,” including discussions about the proposed school’s curriculum, who would lead it, and what role the community would play in the school’s governance. The role of the Bedford-Stuyvesant community in planning and determining the leadership of the college remained a central point of controversy between Central Brooklyn’s educational and civil society leaders and CUNY officials in the negotiations that followed.
Contributor
Woodsworth, Michael
Creator
Jones, Thomas
Date
January 19, 1969
Language
English
Source
Donald Watkins Collection (Brooklyn Public Library)
Jones, Thomas. Letter. “January 19, 1969, Letter from Justice Thomas Jones to Al Vann Announcing Jones’s Resignation from the Negotiation Team for Community College 7.”, CUNY DIGITAL HISTORY ARCHIVE, accessed March 10, 2026, https://stephenz.tailc22a4b.ts.net/s/cdha/item/2033