This Day in the History of the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The Frank Porter Graham Student Union Renovation and Expansion was completed. Seventy-two years after Graham Memorial opened, the entire Union re-opens to continue to serve as Edward Kidder Graham called, "a student club house building large enough to center and contain religious, social, and general student activities for the whole college."

The inaugural Gladys Hall Coates university history lecture was held on this day. History professor Dr. James Leloudis delivered the lecture, which was titled “What’s a University For? Reflections on Carolina’s History.” Prior to the presentation, Chancellor James Moeser announced that Mrs. Coates, a long-time University supporter and benefactor, bequeathed to the North Carolina Collection a one million-dollar fund to support the research and writing of biographies of her husband, Albert M. Coates, and other university officials.

Nelson Ferebee Taylor, who served as chancellor from 1972 to 1980, died in Chapel Hill.

Activist and former director of the National Organization for Women Patricia Ireland spoke at Carroll Hall. The event was sponsored by the University’s Department of Public Policy and co-sponsored by the Curriculum in Women’s Studies.

University law professor Marilyn Yarbrough died. She previously served as dean of the University of Tennessee College of Law (1987-1991), making her the first female African American dean at a major southern law school.

The Order of the Golden Fleece celebrated its centennial. As part of the observance, Francis Collins, University alumnus and director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, delivered an address about personal excellence in Hill Hall.

Edward O. Wilson, known for his groundbreaking work on biodiversity, spoke at the University.

Alice Walker spoke at Hill Hall. The Pulitzer Prize- and American Book award-winning author visited campus as a Frey Foundation Distinguished Visiting Professor in the College of Arts & Sciences.

SOAR, the Southern Observatory for Astrophysical Research, was formally dedicated. A collaboration of UNC-Chapel Hill, Michigan State University, the US National Optical Astronomy Observatory, and the Ministry of Science of Brazil, the observatory is a state-of-the-art, lightweight, computer-controlled, four-meter telescope that sits atop Cerro Pachon, a nine thousand-foot mountain in Chile’s northern Andes Mountains.

“The Gift” was dedicated. A mosaic of light-colored brick, it is the campus’s first monument to Native Americans. Haliwa-Saponi artist Senora Lynch of Warrenton, North Carolina, created the public art. “The Gift” can be found on the courtyard between the old and new Student Union buildings.

The University celebrated a groundbreaking for its new state-of-the-art Carolina Physical Science Complex. The $205 million complex is the largest construction project in the history of the University (as of 2004).

Julius Chambers addressed the University’s Class of 2004 in Kenan Memorial Stadium. Chambers graduated first in his class from the University’s School of Law in 1962, having also been editor-in-chief for the North Carolina Law Review (the first African American to hold this title in any historically white law school in the South).

The inaugural "Light on the Hill Award" was given to Walter Royal Davis of Chapel Hill and Midland, TX to honor his lifetime of loyalty and dedication to the University.

In a joint session, the General Assembly honored former University of North Carolina president William C. Friday.

Charles M. Shaffer, first director of the University’s development office, died in Winston Salem.

Governor Mike Easley signed into law House Bill 1264, which provides $180 million in funding for a new cancer hospital to be built by the UNC Health Care System.

The University celebrated the opening of the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History.

The School of Government celebrated the dedication of the newly renovated and expanded Knapp-Sanders building.

With funding provided by the estate of Lois T. Harris, the University illuminated the exterior of the Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower.

Hemophilia researcher John Borden Graham died. A Goldsboro, North Carolina, native, Graham was Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

“Remembering Reconstruction at Carolina: A Community Conversation,” a two-day program evaluating the University’s post-Civil War past, began on this day.

Dr. James Govan, University Librarian from 1973 to 1992, died in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Members of the University’s 1957 NCAA championship men’s basketball team returned to campus for a commemoration of the newly renovated Woollen Gymnasium.

The Paul and Sheila Wellstone Memorial Garden, which is near Murphey Hall, was dedicated.

The University’s Medical School marked its 125th anniversary.

The University’s football team defeated #4-ranked and previously unbeaten Miami, resulting in the Tar Heels’ first win ever over a team ranked in the top 5.

The Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice statue was unveiled at a dedication ceremony in front of the Kenan Football Center.

The University celebrated a groundbreaking ceremony for the Global Education Center, which will house the University Center for International Studies and other components related to international education.