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.
Dr. Charles Duncan McIver spent his life advocating for women’s higher education. He founded North Carolina’s first college created specifiically for women in Greensboro, and was dedicated a female dormitory for his efforts at UNC-Carolina in 1939.
Cornelia Phillips Spencer, born in Harlem, spent most of her life in Chapel Hill. Best known as the woman who rang the bell after UNC reopened after Reconstruction, Spencer’s legacy has raised questions as scholars and activists alike have reexamined her white supremacist views.
Edwin A. Alderman (1861-1931) was a UNC alumn who pursued a career in teaching. He was a prominant figure in the Southern education movement. He was a conductor of the State Teacher’s Institutes before founding two universities and then as custodian of the UNC library. He then became the first professor of History and Philosophy of education. He became president of UNC in 1896 and campaigned the Board of Trustees to allow the first women to enroll at UNC.
Rebecca Clark (1915-2009) was active in promoting social and economic justice for the University’s African American staff and Chapel Hill’s Northside community.
Katherine Kennedy Carmichael was an English professor who became Dean of Women. During her tenure as dean from 1946-1972, the number of women students at UNC increased from 16 to 37 percent. Her office also enforced dress codes, curfews, and rules about ladylike behavior for female students.