University of North Carolina Athletics
Justice Honored With Statue Outside Kenan Stadium
November 8, 2004 | Football
Nov. 8, 2004
by Lee Pace, Extra Points
It was 3:45 Friday afternoon, and several hundred people had gathered at the west side of Kenan Stadium for the unveiling of a statue honoring Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice. Present were several dozen of his former teammates; dignitaries such as UNC Chancellor James Moeser and former UNC System President Bill Friday; and assorted Tar Heel fans enjoying an idyllic autumn afternoon in Chapel Hill.
At the dais over 30 minutes would be a parade of speakers, each heralding Justice's athletic heroics, his modesty, his generosity, his insistence on sharing his wealth of honors with his teammates, his storybook union with his wife, Sarah. Both Charlie and Sarah passed away over the last 13 months after periods of declining health.
Dick Baddour read a letter from Charlie Loudermilk of Atlanta, a longtime friend of Justice and one of the lynchpins in the statue project. Loudermilk wrote that the 31-28 win over Miami last week was the biggest in Carolina history and that Justice was "looking down and smiling."
Hugh Morton of Grandfather Mountain, another proponent of the statue endeavor, told the audience that the work of sculptor Johnpaul Harris was validated in his mind when Walt Pupa, a Justice teammate, climbed onto a ladder and looked into the statue's face.
"I got goose bumps," Pupa said. "I thought Charlie was looking right at me."
Joe Neikirk, a center who lettered in 1948 and '49, was another moving force in the statue's conception. He was talking as the quarter-hour approached and noted the accomplishments in life and business of the members of the Justice Era. He, too, commented on the magnitude of the previous week's win over the Hurricanes.
"I can't help but believe that Charlie and Sarah are looking down with pride," Neikirk said.
And just then, the Bell Tower chimed out.
Neikirk looked up into the Carolina blue skies. No one present believed there was anything coincidental about it.
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Individuals interested in contributing to the costs of the new Justice statue are invited to contact the Educational Foundation at 919/843-2000.
