Forerunner of educational expansion, advocator of federal desegregation and pioneer in the establishment of affordable schooling, William “Bill” Friday, namesake of Friday Hall, is responsible for some of the most important milestones in North Carolina education.

At 92, Friday died in his sleep in his Chapel Hill home. His message continues to impact universities, and certainly UNCW, even after his death on Oct. 12.

“William C. Friday was considered the grandfather of the UNC system and rightfully so,” said Keith Frasier, UNCW student body president. “Under his leadership as President of the UNC system, UNCW shifted from Wilmington College to a full university. Mr. Friday will be greatly missed by students and educators across the state.”

As a former UNC president during a distinctly influential 30-year term that began in 1956, Friday advocated the expansion of the university system to 16 campuses. Friday worked closely with good friend William Wagoner- the first UNCW chancellor-to transform Wilmington’s campus. Today, UNCW’s Friday Hall is named in honor of him and Ida Friday, his wife of 70 years.

“It is only appropriate that part of the department of biology and marine biology are housed in the building named after him, as he was a strong supporter of marine sciences at UNCW,” Frasier said.

Paul Hosier, UNCW biology and marine biology professor, was provost during Friday’s presidency.

“As an advocate of our marine sciences program, he saw the opportunity [UNCW] creates by being on the coast,” Hosier said. “It’s just logical, and he fostered that concept.” 

Hosier believes that the marine sciences program created a profile for UNCW that got the university recognized throughout the state.

Friday helped UNCW with several opportunities for funding. It’s clear that he had a special affinity for the university.

“Mr. Friday referred to UNCW as one of the sixteen jewels in the crown, but that we were the brightest,” said Ty Rowell, a retiree of UNCW university enhancement and a famous campus historian. 

Rowell occasionally picked up Friday from the airport on his trips to UNCW. He eventually came to know Friday as an interesting North Carolina native, a responsible man who was always early and had a secret dream of featuring in a Western film.

“He was a very genuine person, I think that’s why so many people were fond of him,” Rowell said. “He was able to work with legislature, because you just couldn’t dislike the man. He was a great addition to the state.”

Friday was the kind of man who could negotiate a compromise, because no one questioned his motives.

“He was an absolute perfect gentleman,” Hosier said. “That’s just the kind of guy he was-always behind the scenes, but never looking for the glory.”

Friday’s leadership skills began early. He received an undergraduate degree in textile engineering from NC State, where he served as student body president in 1941. A year later, he married the love of his life, Ida, who worked closely with him throughout his career.

After serving four years in the U.S. Naval Reserve, Friday graduated from UNC Law School in 1948. After graduation, he became the assistant dean of students at UNC-CH and then assistant to President Gordon Gray in 1951. Soon, he was UNC-CH secretary and was then appointed temporary president in 1956-a position that lasted 30 years because of his dedicated success.  

As president, Friday worked with legislature for the desegregation of the university system. By combining 16 college campuses into one system, many predominately black institutions joined overwhelmingly white colleges.

“In the end it was very visionary,” Hosier said. “The whole was greater than the sum of its parts.”

Additionally, Friday fought for educational availability for all students. He chaired the Carnegie Commission of Higher Education at Chapel Hill that directed support for funding of Pell Grants, which play a vital role in providing tuition to students, especially today.

Even after his retirement, Friday joined or chaired several commissions dedicated to the advancement of education for the poor, like the Commission of the Year 2000 and the William Rand Kenan Charitable Trust.  

“He was the kind of former president that stayed involved and engaged with what was going on every day with the university,” said Hannah Gage, member of the UNC Board of Dovernors and former UNCW trustee. “It was unusual if I didn’t get a phone call while driving back from one of my board meetings. I have a message saved on my phone still.”

Gage said Friday’s role in education was probably the most significant that she has seen in her lifetime.

“His message is more relevant today than it was 30 years [ago],” Gage said. “He believed that education lifts people above their circumstances, and if we make it affordable, they’ll take advantage of it to better their lives.”

Friday also believed in maintaining the integrity of institutions, despite the consequences of commercialization of college athletic programs. He co-created the Knight Commission of College Athletics in 1989, stressing higher academic standards for university athletes.

Friday was an athlete himself, playing baseball and basketball during high school in Dallas, NC. Although born in Virginia, he grew up in Gaston County and was a sports reporter for The Gaston Gazette.

“He felt very strongly, when he started the Knight Commission, that if universities were not careful, they could be destroyed by big-time sports,” Gage said. “If we don’t listen to his message, we’re doing it on our own peril.”

He was a strong supporter of the development of Research Triangle Park, working with deceased N.C. Governor Luther Hodges in the 1950s.

“He educated the students who would soon be employees of Research Triangle Park,” Hosier said. “He always thought about the students.”

Friday’s greatest accomplishment may have been that he was able to look ahead to see his vision fully realized.

He is survived by his wife, Ida, and two of his daughters, Frances and Mary.