University of North Carolina Athletics
Chapel Hill To Honor Dean Smith At Peace & Justice Plaza
October 1, 2015 | Men's Basketball
The Town of Chapel Hill will recognize unique individuals who have demonstrated a lifelong commitment to furthering the causes of social justice at a Peace and Justice Celebration scheduled 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, at Peace and Justice Plaza in front of the Post Office-Courthouse, 179 E. Franklin St.
The names of two local leaders – former Chapel Hill Town Council member Bill Thorpe and legendary Tar Heel coach Dean Smith and – will be added to a granite marker that pays tribute to their contributions.
The granite marker currently bears the names of 13 leaders, all deceased, who are honored for their efforts to improve equal rights for all. They are Yonni Chapman, Rebecca Clark, Rev. Charles M. Jones, Dan Pollitt, Charlotte Adams, Hank Anderson, James Brittian, Joe Herzenberg, Mildred Ringwalt, Hubert Robinson, Joe Straley, Lucy Straley and Gloria Williams.
The October 11th ceremony will be opened by Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt. Remarks about the late honorees will be made by family, friends, and others who knew and respected them, including William Thorpe, son of Bill Thorpe and promoter of the UNC Walk for Health; Bobby Gersten, UNC's oldest living basketball alum at age 95; Scott Smith, son of Dean Smith; and civil rights attorney Al McSurely. A reception is scheduled to follow the ceremony inside the lobby of the Post Office-Courthouse.
Recommended public parking – free on Sunday – includes the Wallace Parking Deck at 150 E. Rosemary St. and the municipal lot on the corner of Rosemary and Columbia streets. Visitor parking on campus includes the Morehead Planetarium, and the Swain Lot off Cameron Avenue. For information and a map for parking downtown, go to www.parkonthehill.com
For more information about the Oct. 11 event, please contact Catherine Lazorko, communications manager for the Town of Chapel Hill, at clazorko@townofchapelhill.org or 919-969-5055.
