Ponitz Saluted For Antibias Role

The president of Washtenaw Community ollege said he was really frightened about how various groups might reactto efforts to set up a program for hiring more minorities in the local construction - indiistrv. At a luncheon Thursday at the Town :iuï) honoring his key contribution to. the Vashtenaw County Construction Industry tffirmative Action Program Dr. David Ponitz related some óf the difficult times n the formative years of the program, a oint effort which began with the college, ;pntractors and labor unions. The Black Economie Development League (BEDL) became part of the joint effort this year to train and place more minorities in the construction trades. People told Mm he was fpolish to get the college involved in an affïrmative action program. But Ponitz, who will leave in February to become president of a community college in Dayton, Ohio, said affirmative action was one of the things about which he feit very strongly. So the local effort was and remains the only state financed affirmative action program in Michigan, he said. Henry Landau, a fönher chairman of the local advisory group for the_affirmation action program, said, "I am firmly convinced there would be no affirmative action program if it was not for David Ponitz." Landau, who is still a member of the advisory committee, is a local contractor. Jack Wheatley, the first chairman of the advisory group, said, there were some people who said the program could not be implemented and if it was it I would only be tokenism. "Due to your I tireless efforts and after many, many I meetings it has become in my opinión I one of the finest Affirmative Action 1 grams in the building and construction I industry in this country." Wheatley, who I will resign as business manager of the I Piimbers an'd Pipefitters Local 190 1 ion, said Ponitz was instrumental in I helping bring about the program. In a resolution of appreciation by the affirmative action advisory committee I Dr Ponitz was commended for his foresight in helping créate today's successful I affirmative action program. "Washtenaw ofíunity-e'ollege is a vital component I of this program through continued 1 tance in funding, coordination, 1 ment and training of those minorities I who otherwise would' have no way to I open doors to a better future." "The valued ideas, creative thinking I and respected leadership of Dr. David I Ponitz assured the formation of an af f I mative action program that answers the I needs of so many people who have found I new security through educational upgrading and productive work resulting in a living income," the resolution said. Landau said Ponitz was the one who nursed the program through the early stages. He moderated the situation when tempers of the different factions flared, Landau said. Ponitz said those early meetings were "tènse, tough and tight." "I recognized that we still have problems and always will have. But now we can do it with humor and laugh about problems. "I was really frightened about how various groups said they would react to efforts to set up a program for hiring more minorities in the construction industry. Black and white groups were both talking about blowing each other out of the water. All of us were really ■ afraid. Then we pulled together and did something. "Other áreas in the state and country will have to face problems that we have dealt with here. This is the key for the program here. It has not been done elsewhere. That this is the only state financed affirmative action program in Michigan says things about the people involved in this program. "