NEWS

Local angle: Lumberton

Photo note: To download a photo of Friday and Chancellor
James Moeser, click on the URL listed below.

By SUSAN PHILLIPS
UNC News Services

CHAPEL HILL -- Ida Howell Friday, a woman who embodies the grace and charm of the Old South but who also has been described as a brilliant organizer and champion of women and women’s causes, is the recipient of this year’s Cornelia Phillips Spencer Bell Award from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chancellor James Moeser made the presentation to Friday in an April 17 ceremony at the George Watts Hill Alumni Center.

The Bell award, now in its 10th year, recognizes a woman who has made outstanding contributions to the university. It is named for Cornelia Phillips Spencer, who campaigned to re-open the university after the Civil War.

Friday’s name is well known even by newcomers to the university. William C. Friday, her husband of more than 50 years, is president emeritus of the 16-campus University of North Carolina and University distinguished professor at UNC-Chapel Hill. And the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education that bears both their names is a tribute to their enduring influence and devotion to the state and to Carolina.

Many leaders in the university and Chapel Hill communities enthusiastically nominated Friday for the Bell award.

She was cited as a longtime champion of the School of Public Health and as a strong advocate in the state for public health and education issues. In that capacity she impressed colleagues with her "rare blend of insightful acumen and gracious warmth" and her "unshakable integrity."

The mother of three professional, successful daughters, Friday was lauded for her support of Chapel Hill’s Women’s Center, "its success for which she is almost entirely responsible." She was described as "Chapel Hill’s First Lady," who through the years graciously entertained a stream of distinguished guests for the university, the town and the state.

Said one nominator of Friday’s devotion to her projects: "What’s so inspiring about all this work is the motivation. It is pure, never seeking glory. Not even expecting to be thanked. … Ida’s reward when she completes a project is seeing that things are a bit better than when she started."

One nominator wrote of Friday’s skills: "Ida Friday is a principled, skilled and energetic leader; she is a careful and broadminded thinker."

A native of Lumberton, Friday received her bachelor’s degree in home economics from Meredith College and her master’s of public health from Carolina. She worked for what was then Carolina Power and Light Co. as a home economist from 1948 to 1952 and was an instructor and workshop director for the School of Public Health during that same time.

Among numerous civic groups with which she has worked, Friday has served as president of the Chapel Hill Preservation Society and on the boards of the North Carolina Symphony Society, the YM-YWCA of Chapel Hill, Community Church and the Newcomers Club.

Her commitment to the university’s mission and to its community are evident in many of the honors she has received, including the North Carolina Distinguished Service Award for Women, the North Carolina Public Service Award, and with her husband, the University’s Distinguished Service Medal, the North Caroliniana Society Award and 1981 North Carolina Citizen of the Year.

Cornelia Phillips Spencer, who inspired the Bell award, is best known for spearheading the effort to reopen the university following Reconstruction. On March 20, 1875, after hearing that her persistence had paid off and that the university would reopen, she climbed to the top of South Building and rang its bell to herald the good news. That bit of lore led to the naming of the award in her name, with the addition of "Bell."

Spencer wrote for local magazines and newspapers and through her writing waged an active campaign for education. She also played a significant role in the founding of what is now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Carolina recognized her contributions by awarding her an honorary doctor of laws degree in 1895, the first one given to a woman. The first women's residence hall, Spencer Hall, is named in her honor.

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Photo url: http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/group/bellaward_2003.jpg

Contact: Mike McFarland, (919) 962-8593.