Carolina basketball fans notice every move head coach Roy Williams ’72, ’73 (M.A.T.) makes from donning retro Air Jordans in a game against Duke to uttering his latest “Roy-ism” to dancing in the locker room after a hard-won victory.
But Coach Williams’ followers may not know about the many generous donations he and Wanda Williams ’72 have made to scholarship programs and non-revenue sports over the years. That includes the couple’s $600,000 gift that funded scholarships for spring-sports seniors whose seasons were cut short by the pandemic.
For the most part, the Williamses have preferred to keep their philanthropic endeavors quiet, to support without fanfare the people and programs they hold dear. Now, to meet the urgency of the moment, Coach Williams and Wanda have made their largest one-time gift to Carolina: $3 million to support scholarships for athletes, Carolina Covenant Scholars and Chancellor’s Science Scholars. And this time, they agreed announcing the
“When I think about Steve Farmer, I think about the verse in ‘Hark the Sound’ that refers to Carolina as a priceless gem. In my 10 years at Carolina, I have come to believe this University is indeed a priceless gem ― because of people like Steve.”
These remarks were delivered by Carolina alumna Euna Victoria Chavis ’14, ’19 (M.S.W.) at a virtual farewell event honoring Vice Provost for Enrollment and Undergraduate Admissions Steve Farmer for his two-decade legacy of improving the accessibility and affordability at Carolina, making the University a more diverse and inclusive institution.
When Chavis met Farmer, she was serving at Purnell Swett High School in Robeson County, North Carolina, as an adviser for the Carolina College Advising Corps. The program, founded by Farmer, places recent college graduates in underserved high schools to reinforce the importance of a college education and guide them through the admissions process.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Recruiting rural law students
Carolina Law alumnus Douglas Freedle donated $1 million to support incoming law students from rural North Carolina.
By University Development, Tuesday, December 15th, 2020
Thomasville, North Carolina, is home to the state’s oldest railroad depot and its oldest festival, “Everybody’s Day,” as well as The Big Chair a 30-foot-tall concrete homage to the town’s once-bustling furniture industry.
It’s also where UNC-Chapel Hill alumnus Douglas Freedle ’63, ‘65 (LL.B.) was born and raised, and where he graduated from Thomasville High School more than 60 years ago with just one goal in mind.