Archives

Blyden Jackson

Born in 1910, Dr. Jackson served as the associate dean of the English graduate school from 1973-1981 and was instrumental in bringing in African American literature into the department. After his retirement in 1981, Dr. Jackson remained in Chapel Hill until he passed away on May 1, 2000. Jackson Hall was named after Roberta and Blyden Jackson in 1992 amidst the campus struggle to build a black cultural center.

Dean Smith

Legendary former UNC basketball coach Dean Smith (1931-2015) gives his name to the Dean E. Smith Center, home of the Tar Heel men’s basketball team. Smith coached UNC’s basketball team for 36 years, winning 2 NCAA championships, and directing numbers of legendary players. Smith desegregated the team in 1966 with the recruitment of Charlie Scott, and he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 for his efforts for racial equality. The Smith Center was completed in 1986 to meet the need for a larger arena, but amidst controversy over such a large athletics project.

Frank Porter Graham

Frank Porter Graham (October 14th 1886-February 16th, 1972) served as President of UNC, then as the first president of the UNC system. As an advocate of racial equality and labor rights, he was controversial at his time and deemed a “radical” and a “socialist.

Sonja Haynes Stone

Sonja Haynes Stone (1938-1991) came to UNC in 1974 to lead the Curriculum in Afro-American Studies. Stone was a favorite professor to many students; she received the Class of 1990’s Favorite Faculty Award and was the first recipient of the General Alumni Association’s Outstanding Black Faculty Award. Before UNC, she worked in the Northeastern Illinois University Department of Inner City Studies.