UNCA Celebrates Founders Day September 19-20

UNC Asheville will celebrate its annual Founders Day and Family Weekend festivities with a range of campus events September 19-20. Highlights this year include cultural events, alumni reunions, the presentation of the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year award and the inauguration of the UNCA Athletics Hall of Fame. The events are open to the public.

The celebration kicks off Friday with UNCA's annual birthday cake celebration at noon on Reed Plaza in front of the Dining Hall. The Office of Student Activities will serve birthday cake to honor the university's founding.

UNCA's men's and women's soccer teams will play a double-header Friday afternoon at Greenwood Field. The Bulldogs begin play at 2 p.m. with the women's team playing UNC Wilmington, followed by the men's team against Furman University at 4 p.m.

At 5 p.m. the unveiling of former Chancellor Patsy Reed's portrait will be held in UNCA's Blowers Gallery on Ramsey Library's main floor. A reception will follow in Ramsey Library Glass House. Reed, who served as UNCA chancellor from 1994 to 1999, will attend the ceremony.

At the 6:30 p.m. Founders Day Dinner, Richard Wynne, a 1950 graduate of UNCA's predecessor Asheville-Biltmore College, will be presented the Distinguished Alumnus award for 2003. Wynne, a Buncombe County native, played a vital role in bringing Asheville-Biltmore College into the University of North Carolina system and served on UNCA's Board of Trustees for many years. A veteran newspaperman, he rose through the ranks at the Asheville-Citizen Times from copy boy to president and publisher. An active member of the community, he has served on numerous boards and committees including the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, Asheville Area Red Cross, Asheville Art Museum, Mission St. Joseph's Hospital and United Way.

The UNCA Alumni Association will also recognize Dr. Kevin Moorhead, UNCA environmental studies associate professor and chair, who was named 2003 Distinguished Teacher of the Year at commencement.

UNCA's Athletics Department will induct the inaugural members of the UNCA Hall of Fame at the Founders Day Dinner. The five inductees are Herb Coman, coach and administrator, Bob Hartman, head men's basketball coach and administrator; the late basketball player Jim McElhaney; basketball player Sheila Ford Duncan; and volleyball player Ilona Fekete Thimmer.

The Founders Day Dinner will be held at the Reuter Center. Tickets are $20 per person. For reservations, call UNCA's Alumni Office at 828/251-6512.

Saturday's highlights include faculty displays and presentations in Karpen Hall Lobby from 9:30 a.m.-noon. UNCA faculty will also give mini-lectures during the morning. UNCA history Professor William Spellman and UNCA mass communication Associate Professor Mark West will examine "The Erosion of Diversity: World History Since 1945" at 9:30 a.m. in Laurel Forum, Karpen Hall. Grant Hardy, associate professor of history, will present "Poetry of Publishing" at 10:30 a.m. in Laurel Forum, Karpen Hall.

A number of departmental alumni and predecessor college reunions will be held throughout the weekend. For more information, call UNCA's Alumni Relations Office at 828/251-6512.

For more information about Family Weekend special events and activities, call UNCA's Office of Student Activities at 828/232-5000.

A complete list of events is available online.

Media Contacts:

• Mary Chakales, UNCA Office of Alumni Relations Director, 828/251-6693
• Dr. Kevan Frazier, UNCA Student Activities Director, 828/232-5000
• Jill Yarnall, UNCA Public Information Assistant Director, 828/251-6526