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Fordham, Frye, Spangler to receive Davie Awards for extraordinary service

CHAPEL HILL -- Dr. Christopher C. Fordham III, Henry E. Frye and C.D. Spangler Jr. will be honored today (Nov. 20) with William Richardson Davie Awards in recognition of their extraordinary service to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and to society.

Established by Carolina’s Board of Trustees in 1984, the prestigious Davie Award is named for the Revolutionary War hero considered to be the father of the university. Davie was the author of the bill that established the university. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the trustees.

Chancellor James Moeser and the trustees will honor this year’s recipients at a dinner tonight.

Fordham, who received his pre-medical degree and certificate of medicine from UNC-Chapel Hill (and medical degree from Harvard University), returned to his alma mater from the Medical College of Georgia in 1971 as professor of medicine and dean of the School of Medicine, positions he held until 1979.

Under his leadership, the Area Health Education Centers Program was established, linking the university with other in-state medical schools to provide service opportunities to physicians and increase the ratio of health professionals to North Carolina’s population. During part of his tenure as dean, he served the university as vice chancellor for health affairs and in 1977 was named acting assistant secretary for health and acting Surgeon General of the United States at the request of President Jimmy Carter.

In 1980, Fordham became Carolina’s chancellor. Under his leadership, the undergraduate curriculum was revised. He sought and achieved significant increases in research funding, which grew from $56 million at the beginning of his term to $105 million by the end. He renewed focus on private giving, putting UNC-Chapel Hill among the nation’s top 20 public institutions for contributions and increasing the endowment from $30 million to $130 million.

He also oversaw construction of the Dean E. Smith Center, Sitterson Hall, the Hanes Art Center, the Kenan Center and Davis Library.

Among Fordham’s honors are the UNC-Chapel Hill General Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service Medal, the American Medical Association Award and the N.C. Hospital Association Distinguished Service Award. He also is a distinguished service member of the Association of American Medical Colleges. An honorary member of the Board of Visitors, he serves on the Carolina First Campaign Chapel Hill-Durham Regional Steering Committee.

The Christopher Fordham Award recognizing a graduating student for outstanding and creative leadership at the medical school was established in his honor. In 1988, the university’s biology-biotechnology building was named Christopher C. Fordham Hall.

Frye graduated from North Carolina A&T State University and received his law degree, with honors, from Carolina. He was admitted to the state bar and practiced as an attorney in Greensboro for four years.

In 1962, Robert Kennedy appointed him an assistant U.S. attorney – one of only six in the nation. He followed this appointment with a professorship in the School of Law at North Carolina Central University before returning to private practice in Greensboro. In 1968, Frye won a seat in the state House of Representatives, the first black in the 20^th century to do so. He served six terms in the state House and one in the state Senate, always writing and delivering a poem on the last day the legislature was in session.

Frye also started the Greensboro National Bank and served as its president for nine years. Former Gov. Jim Hunt appointed him associate justice of the state Supreme Court in 1983, the first black to serve on the high court.

He successfully ran for the position in 1984 – the first of eight such terms – making him North Carolina’s longest-serving Supreme Court jurist. In 1999, he became the first black to serve as chief justice in the state’s history.

Frye is now attorney of counsel with Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard in Greensboro.

Among his many honors, Frye has received the Distinguished Alumnus-Alumna Award from UNC-Chapel Hill and the N.C. chapter of the NAACP’s Kelly M. Alexander Sr. Humanitarian Award. N.C. A&T honored him with the Alumni Excellence Award, an honorary doctor of laws degree and established the Henry E. Frye Honors Program Endowment and the Henry E. Frye Pre-Law Society in his name. He has received the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers’ Appellate Judges Award and was named Lawyer of the Year by the N.C. Association of Black Lawyers. He received the University of North Carolina Board of Governors’ University Award this year.

Spangler received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Carolina. After earning his master of business administration degree from Harvard Business School and serving two years in the U.S. Army, he returned to the family business, C.D. Spangler Construction Co.

Spangler’s commitment to public education began in 1972. As vice-chairman of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board, he helped lead the successful integration of area schools. From 1982 to 1986, he served as chairman of the state Board of Education.

During his tenure as president of the 16-campus University of North Carolina, from 1986 to 1997, Spangler was known for his dedication to students; he was a champion of low tuition.

Spangler opened doors to minorities, hiring Julius Chambers away from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to become chancellor at N.C. Central University. Spangler also brought women into the top tier of the university system, hiring the first female vice president of the system and two female chancellors.

Grant funding for research in the system grew from $206 million to $493 million in the Spangler years. University-wide enrollment grew by 27,000 students during his tenure. In 1993, he led a successful campaign for a $310 million bond referendum for UNC facilities – at the time, the largest in system history.

Spangler was successful in securing greater flexibility in management and budgeting for the system, and he instituted reforms to ensure integrity in the sports programs at all UNC campuses participating in intercollegiate athletics.

Under his leadership, the Spangler Foundation has generously supported institutions of culture, public service and higher education. Overall, the Spangler Foundation has contributed more than $10 million toward the creation of 38 distinguished professorships within the university system.

Among his many honors are the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, the UNC Board of Governors’ University Award, Harvard Business School’s Alumni Achievement Award and the N.C. Citizens for Business and Industry Citizen for Distinguished Public Service Award.

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News Services contact: Deb Saine, (919) 962-8415 or deborah_saine@unc.edu