[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 105 (Thursday, July 15, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1327-E1328]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING BILL FRIDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 15, 2010

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor William 
C. ``Bill'' Friday, the man whose name was synonymous with higher 
education in North Carolina for much of the 20th century. This week, he 
celebrated his 90th birthday.
  Few North Carolinians are as well known or as widely respected as 
Bill Friday. Although he has never run for elected office, the former 
president of the University of North Carolina (UNC) system has been 
prominent in public affairs for decades and ranks as one of the most 
important American university presidents of the post-World War II era. 
As the longest-serving President of North Carolina's public university 
system, Bill Friday has been a friend to anyone and everyone educated 
in that system, anyone employed by that system, and anyone living in 
the vibrant towns and cities that surround our state's public 
universities.
  Bill Friday was born in Raphine, Virginia, but he grew up in Dallas, 
North Carolina, a small community in Gaston County. He graduated from 
Dallas High School, where he played baseball and basketball, and went 
on to earn a bachelor's degree from North Carolina State University and 
a law degree from UNC Chapel Hill. He also served in the United States 
Naval Reserve during World War II.
  Friday's entire professional life was spent in higher education. 
Before becoming president of the UNC system in 1957, he served as 
assistant dean of students at the University of North Carolina at 
Chapel Hill (1948-1951), assistant to the President of the Consolidated 
University of North Carolina (1951-1955), and Secretary of the 
University of North Carolina system. After a brief period as Acting 
President of the system, he was chosen to take the position 
permanently. It was a job at which he thrived.
  Friday's tenure as UNC president spanned the greatest period of 
growth for higher education in American history, and he played a 
crucial role in shaping our sixteen-campus university during that time. 
Early on, the Council of Advancement and Support of Education 
identified Friday as the most effective public university president in 
the nation.
  Bill Friday was a consistent supporter of academic freedom and 
integrity. During the civil rights movement, he often served as 
mediator between student activists and the conservative state 
legislature. He led a five-year effort to repeal the 1963 Speaker Ban 
Law, which prohibited campuses from hosting appearances by government 
critics. And he fought to keep tuition affordable so that limited means 
would not be a barrier to higher education.
  Friday was also a visionary leader, and he pursued that vision in 
many areas. His involvement in the Carnegie Commission on the Future of 
Higher Education led to gains in North Carolina and the nation in 
federal funding for student aid in Pell Grants and the establishment of 
the Area Health Education Centers. He served as founding co-chair of 
the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, which has worked 
persistently to reform college athletics. Friday helped to develop the 
National Humanities Center; he supported the establishment of North 
Carolina public radio through UNC; and he was instrumental in the 
creation and growth of the Research Triangle Park.
  As Charlotte Observer associate editor Jack Betts noted about Bill 
Friday: ``He often seemed to be everywhere, but he was always no 
further away than a telephone, willing to talk about state history, 
fully cognizant of the state's many needs and always enthusiastic about 
the progress the state could make through its various educational 
enterprises, especially the university. He was a university president, 
but at heart he has always been a teacher.'' I can certainly attest to 
this personally as the recipient of many Bill Friday notes and calls 
and as one who has benefitted enormously from his generous and wise 
counsel.
  Friday has mentored university leaders, governors and presidents in 
the course of his public life and he has received a multitude of 
accolades--including just about every honor North Carolina has to 
bestow. These honors include the American Council on Education's 
National Distinguished Service Award for Lifetime Achievement, the 
National Humanities Medal, the American Academy for Liberal Education's 
Jacques Barzun Award, and the John Hope Franklin Award. In 2004, the 
N.C. General Assembly held a special joint session to honor Friday's 
life and work. The legislature and then-Gov. Mike Easley presented 
William and Ida Friday with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine award for 
service to North Carolina.
  Now retired from the university, Friday heads the William R. Kenan, 
Jr., Fund and the Kenan Charitable Trust. Friday also currently hosts a 
public television talk show, North Carolina People, which he began 
while still president of the UNC system. The show brings Tar Heel state 
residents insights from leaders in education, politics, business, and 
the arts, adding richly to our public discourse.
  Even in retirement, Friday keeps an office at UNC Chapel Hill and 
serves as a formal and informal sounding board and dispenser of wisdom 
for students, administrators and others. The University of North 
Carolina System has given its state so much: public servants, educators 
and other professionals, small and large business leaders, innovative 
researchers, informed citizens: these make up the fabric that weaves 
together our communities. At 90, Bill remains fiercely dedicated to the 
idea that education is uniquely powerful, giving young people the tools 
they need to shape their lives, live out their dreams, and better 
society.
  As Bill himself would insist, he has not achieved these great things 
on his own. He had the good fortune and good sense in 1942

[[Page E1328]]

to marry his wife Ida, who has been a lifetime partner in his service 
and civic endeavors. Their names grace a continuing education center in 
Chapel Hill and an education innovation center in Raleigh, both of 
which host hundreds of gatherings each year, promoting collaboration 
and furthering the causes to which the Fridays' lives have been 
dedicated.
  Fortunately, nothing Bill Friday has done in the last few years 
suggests his life will begin to slow down as he turns 90. I am honored 
to know Bill and to call attention to his service to our state and her 
citizens. The Tarheel State owes much to him.

                          ____________________