Thursday, May 18, 2000

By Dan Guy, PR Intern

Wilmington - UNCW's Watson School of Education is recognizing 10 North Carolina honorees for their contributions to America's youth. The media are invited to attend The Eighth Annual Razor Walker Awards Ceremony given at 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 22. The ceremony will take place at the Warwick Center Ballroom on the campus of UNCW. This program is sponsored in part by BellSouth.

This year's event is in memory of Dr. Jay Robinson, who dedicated 45 years of his life to improving public education. Among other positions, he served as chairman of the State Board of Education, and was a member of the Board of Trustees of UNCW. Dr. Robinson was named one of Teacher Magazine's most influential people in America during the past decade.

These prestigious awards were established to recognize individuals across the state who have made extraordinary contributions to the lives of children and youth of North Carolina. Selected from nominations received from across the country, honorees are individuals who have brought vision, tenacity, courage, and sacrifice to better the lives of the young people of this state. The Razor Walker awards are so named to honor individuals either from North Carolina or currently living in the state who have "walked the razor's edge" by taking risks to benefit children and youth of our Tar Heel state.

The 2000 Razor Walker award winners are:

Governor James B. Hunt, Raleigh

Sharon Darling, president, National Center for Family Literacy, Louisville, Kentucky

William Friday, UNC president emeritus, Chapel Hill

Dr. James J. Gallagher, Kenan professor of education at UNC-Chapel Hill and director of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center

William L. Joyner, M.D., interim executive director, New Hanover Community Health Center, Wilmington

Hugh MacRae II, president, The Oleander Company, Wilmington

Peggy Manring, head of distance learning technologies, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham

Thomas W. Lambeth, chairman of board of directors, National Center for Family Philanthropy and director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, Winston-Salem.

Dr. Robert E. Tyndall, vice chancellor, UNCW information technology systems, Wilmington

For more information, contact Marla Rice-Evans at (910) 962-7055

Note to media: sketches of all recipients are available. We are only faxing those of local interest. Call Sharon San Diego at (910) 962-3861 if you would like a sketch that outlines why each individual was selected, or you may download the sketches from our web page: http://uncwil.edu/news

James B. Hunt, Jr.

Governor, State of North Carolina

Known throughout the nation and beyond as "The Education Governor," Jim Hunt began promoting important changes in education in North Carolina during his term as Lieutenant Governor from 1973-1977 by advocating kindergarten for all children. As governor from 1977 through 1985, he pushed for a focus on reading by establishing the primary reading program and reducing class size, and supplemented those efforts by creating drop-out prevention programs. He continued his focus on children during his second two-term tenure as Governor by establishing Smart Start, which has become a model program for many other states for serving children from birth to school age.

These and other new initiatives have been enhanced by a strong focus on increasing the quality of education that is provided throughout the state. Among these efforts were supporting adoption of Total Quality practices in education, the Excellent Schools Act, and the Student Accountability Standards. These programs provide extensive guidance and assistance to schools and school systems as they strive to improve education for all students. He continues his efforts to secure a central position for education on the state agenda by promoting his First in America project that outlines clear education goals for North Carolina - taking an unprecedented position, especially for a Southern state, to be first in the nation by 2010 - and establishing a system for monitoring progress toward those goals and providing policy guidance.

In addition to his focus on children, Governor Hunt has led a national and state initiative to improve teaching as a profession. Between his terms he helped establish and direct the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. In North Carolina, he has championed efforts to encourage teachers to seek and attain National Board Certification; his efforts are reflected in the fact that more than a quarter of the countryís national board certified teachers are employed in schools in our state. Currently, Governor Hunt is striving to raise teacher salaries to the national average, a goal expected to be achieved before the end of his unprecedented fourth term as governor.

Recognized by his peers as a leader among governors, he also has received numerous national awards and recognitions. Among the awards are: James B. Conant Award; the Education Press Award; and the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize. He currently serves as co-chair of the National Commission on Asia in the Schools.

Sharon K. Darling

President, The National Center for Family Literacy

Committed to helping to break the intergenerational cycle of undereducation, underachievement, and poverty that is so pervasive in millions of American families, Sharon Darling developed a comprehensive family literacy service system that has become an important foundation and sustaining structure for social improvement. Beginning with an initial grant from the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust in 1988 to operate four sites in North Carolina and three in Louisville, Kentucky, and then a grant from the Trust in 1989 to establish the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL), Sharon has motivated and led an international movement that includes more than 3,000 sites in the United States.

As a direct result of her advocacy and the work of NCFL, family literacy services are embedded in the national and state systems for funding services for children, adults, and families. Leading those is Even Start, a federal program that funds services meeting standards set by NCFL. Nationally-validated as an effective model for preventing reading difficulties in young children, comprehensive family literacy services are required by, among others, Head Start, Title I, the Adult Education Act, and the Reading Excellence Act, and are eligible for adoption in Comprehensive School Reform projects. In addition, family literacy services are included in welfare reform initiatives and provided by legislation in most states as either special initiatives or by inclusion in regular systems of services.

Sharon serves as an advisor on education issues to governors, state and national policy-makers, business leaders, and foundations. She serves on the boards of several organizations including the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, the National Coalition for Literacy, and the New School for Social Research, and she is an active member of the International Womenís Forum. Her awards and recognition include, among others: the Woman of Distinction Award, 1999; Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, 1998; National Caring Award, 1996; Charles A. Dana Award for Pioneering Achievement in Education, 1996; the Harold W. McGraw Award for Outstanding Educator, 1993; and the Kentucky Commissionerís Award for Exemplary Service in 1992. She has been featured as an ìUncommon Americanî in the Arts and Entertainment television networkís Biography show.

Since founding NCFL, Sharon has been dedicated to placing family literacy services - parents and children learning together - on the national agenda for social change. Since its beginning a decade ago, family literacy has become more than an agenda item - it has become a rallying and driving force.

William C. Friday

President Emeritus, The University of North Carolina

From his initial appointment as Administrative Assistant to the President in 1951, to Acting President in 1956 and President later that year, until his retirement as President of the University of North Carolina in 1986, Mr. William Friday led the university system to a level of distinction that made it the model for the nation. During that time, he oversaw the expansion of the Consolidated University from three campuses to six and then, in 1971, the merger of the Consolidated University and State Board of Higher Education into the current 16-campus University of North Carolina.

While he was, and remains, revered by leaders in all fields and all levels of public leadership, Mr. Fridayís commitment to education, genuine interest in all aspects of society and work, and his accessibility to citizens of our state have made him one of the most recognized and respected public figures in North Carolina. Many have come to know and revere the host of North Carolina People, a program now in its 24th year. His genuine relationship with people and the position of integrity and respect that he holds contributed significantly to the elevation of the University of North Carolina to the level that we know it today, and its designation as what many have called ìthe crown jewel of the state.î In the year of his retirement, Mr. Friday was rated the most effective public university president in the nation.

Mr. Fridayís leadership in higher education in North Carolina was recognized early in his career, and that recognition continues today. Since the earliest such recognition in 1957, he has received 18 honorary doctorates. He was named University Professor at UNC Chapel Hill in 1986, and was named the first University Distinguished Professor of Honors by the University of North Carolina in 1999. He has served Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Carter, and Clinton, and has numerous organizations and educational entities including: provided leadership for the American Council on Education, Association of American Universities, Southern Regional Education Board, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Public Broadcasting Services, North Carolina Poverty Project, Governorís Commission on Literacy, North Carolina Public School Forum, North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center, TIAA/CREF, Knight Foundation National Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, the Southern Growth Policy Board, and the Center for Creative Leadership. Among Mr. Fridayís many awards and honors are: James L. Fisher Award for Distinguished Service to Education, 1996; World Citizen Award, 1996; National Humanities Medal, 1997; the Jacques Barzun Award, 1999; and the Caldwell Award, 1999.

James J. Gallagher

Kenan Professor of Education

Senior Investigator, National Center for Early Development and Learning

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Much of what we think of now as standard acceptable systems of services, practices, and expectations for accomplishment in special education and education of the gifted have their origin in research, leadership, and advocacy by James Gallagher. Beginning during the 1960s with long-term studies of gifted and brain-injured children and continuing through his tenure in the U.S. Office of Education as the first director of the Bureau of Education for the Handicapped and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Jim Gallagher helped to establish a national agenda to grant special educational rights to gifted children and individuals with disabilities.

Dr. Gallagher continued his leadership in the field of special education through his work at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Research Center and in a series of national technical assistance and training projects that have continued since 1971. With a three-pronged approach working directly with federal agencies and providing technical assistance and training to states and local projects, he led efforts to adopt and implement policy and service initiatives at the national state, and local levels. The results impacted much of the national system that we know today, including comprehensive national, state, and local policies and systems of advocacy, delivery, and standards.

While serving as the leader and champion of initiatives to serve handicapped and disadvantaged children, he maintained his commitment to gifted children with a lifelong pattern of leadership and focus on research, scholarship, and services. From his studies in the 1960s, he has continued with his most recent work projecting paradigms for education of gifted children in the 21st century. Demonstrating his long-term commitment to teacher preparation and the field of education of exceptional children is his book, Educating Exceptional Children (written with his colleagues Kirk and Anastasiow), that is now in its 9th edition.

Dr. Gallagher has provided leadership for the field of special education by serving in numerous positions including, among others: President of the National Association for Gifted Children; the Council for Exceptional Children; World Council for Gifted and Talented Children; member of Boards of Directors for The Association for the Gifted, the Council for Exceptional Children, and National Association for Gifted Children; and editor of the Journal of Education of the Gifted.

His many awards include: J. E. Wallace Wallin Award for Contributions to Special Education, 1967; John Fogarty Award for Distinguished Government Service, 1972; AAMD Education Award, 1976; ACLD Learning Disabilities Award, 1977; CEC Service to the Field Award, 1990; NAGC Distinguished Service to the Field Award, 1995 and 1999; and The World Council for Gifted and Talented Children Distinguished Service Award, 1997.

William L. Joyner

Medical Director and Interim Executive Director

New Hanover Community Health Center

In medicine, a field in which many clients feel dependent on the providers and out-of-control of their own destiny, Dr. Joyner has devoted his career to helping patients understand the services they receive while providing them the highest-quality services at costs as low as possible. His work toward that end began in 1981 as Coordinator of Educational Services for a medical center, and culminated in his current organization, the New Hanover Community Health Center. His commitment to service in his field and to his community is demonstrated clearly by his continuing active engagement in the communities where he lives and works. Among some examples of that service are: Board Member, Mayorís Commission on Literacy; Coordinator, Summer Science Program; Board Member, Committee on Public Policy and Legislation; President, Student National Medical Association; Science and Math Tutor; Board Member, New Hanover County Partnership for Children (Smart Start); and Board Member, Wilmington Health Access for Teens.

Dr. Joyner is very active in his field with participation in many professional organizations including: New Hanover/Pender County Medical Society; North Carolina Medical Society; North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians; Southern Medical Association; American Medical Association; and American College of Physician Executives. As a member of the Founding and Steering Committee of the Coastal Family Medicine Residency Program, he is working to continue his tradition of service by helping people who are entering the field of medical practice follow in his footsteps.



Thomas W. Lambeth

Executive Director, Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation

In his position as Executive Director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, Tom Lambeth raised the standards for engagement and connoisseurship in philanthropy in North Carolina and the nation to new levels, working directly with recipients as partners to assure success. Through his work and relationships with grantees and those considering submitting applications, he provided significant assistance in strategic planning and thinking. Working from an established position of leadership and responsibility that was demonstrated during his high school and college years and later through extensive public service with the Democratic Party, Boards of Trustees, and with Congress, Tom extended his influence over public policy and programs with such service as: Commission Member, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools; member Legislative Study Committee; member N. C. Legislative Commission on Jobs and Economic Growth; member, N. C. Teaching Fellows Commission; and member of the N. C. Rural Prosperity Task Force.

Due to Tom's position of influence and respect established during his years of public service and philanthropy and his relationships with potential and actual grantees, the impact on the state and region of the substantial amount of money awarded by the Foundation extends far beyond what should be expected from only the monies provided.

Mr. Lambeth provides leadership in philanthropy beyond his own foundation, including service as a trustee and officer of the Ruth Z. Fleishman Foundation, Chairman and other offices of the Council on Foundations, chairman of the National Center for Family Philanthropy, Committee Member for the National Initiative to Promote the Growth of Philanthropy, and Board Member of the Kenan Institute for the Arts.

Mr. Lambeth has received numerous awards and honors including: UNC Chapel Hill Distinguished Alumnus Award, 1988; William Richard Davie Award, 1990; and UNC-Chapel Hill Distinguished Service Award.

Hugh MacRae II

Businessman and Developer

Wilmington, North Carolina

Communities become what they are through quiet, continuing, hard work and commitments made by people who live there, often without those who benefit from a community actually being aware of what its characteristics are or how they came to be that wayóthe old house on the corner is there, the park is there, the community service organization is there, the downtown business is present, ships visit the port, a shopping center is there, or a resort area is there. We take them for granted, often not considering that they are there because someone cared enough to make sure they are there. But, throughout North Carolina, and especially in the Southeast Region, many community features and historic sites are there because of the quiet, dedicated, and relentless commitment and work of Hugh MacRae. Residents or visitors to Wilmington might experience the Bellamy Mansion and other historic homes in old Wilmington, a British Naval ship, residential subdivisions, Independence Mall, Hanover Shopping Center, Confederate fortifications, or Old Charlestown. If one visits Linville or Grandfather Mountain, homes and resort areas have been built and others preserved. All of these features and facilities are part of the communities wholly or in large part because of work by Mr. MacRae.

An avid golfer, he has contributed to maintaining the golfing traditions in the eastern United States and in Scotland, and has helped develop and maintain clubs and golfing traditions in North Carolina.

An active participant in community services, Mr. MacRae serves, or has served, as: trustee of Walker Memorial Hospital; Vestry Member, St. James Episcopal Church; Chairman, Bellamy Mansion, Inc.; Chairman, Wilmington Military Affairs Committee; Honorary Chairman American Red Cross Campaign, and member of the University of North Carolina Foundation, among others.

Peggy Manring

Head, Distance Learning Technologies

North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

Ms. Manring has led the development of courseware that has been available on the North Carolina Super Highway, making possible the position of leadership that the state has attained in distance education and telecommunications. With her software, the state has been able to develop and implement its Cyber Campus network and deliver education courses to rural areas, particularly in the eastern region. The N. C. School of Science and Mathematics has been able to use the products to enhance all of its programs and to disseminate them through the web. Peggyís development and dissemination work have provided both the foundation and the content for emerging applications of latest information technologies in education.

Recognizing the importance of her work Peggy has received awards such as: BurroughsWellcome Fund Grant, 1996; U.S. Department of Commerce TIAPP Grant, 1996; Global Information Infrastructure Award; and the U.S. Department of Education Technology Innovation Challenge Grant.



Robert E. Tyndall

Vice Chancellor for Information Technology Systems

University of North Carolina at Wilmington

Robert Tyndall began receiving awards while still in high school. His high school honors included class president for three years, and Student Body President his senior year. Graduation produced eighteen awards of distinction, three state-wide awards and two national awards, including the United States Senate Page Gold Cluster, The United Nations World Peace Oratory Medal, and the Eleanor Roosevelt National Service Award.

While at UNC-Chapel Hill he was Student Senate Chair, Vice President of the Dialectic and Philanthropic Chamber, and President of the Southeastern United States Student Assembly. At the age of twenty-three he was named principal of Lyon Park School in Durham City where he provided leadership that transformed the school from near condemnation and very low morale to win the Britannica National School Improvement Award in four years. From 1976 to 1984 he served as principal of three schools, Deputy Superintendent of the Durham City Schools, and Associate Superintendent of Durham County Schools.

Concurrent with these roles he founded the Research Triangle Education Consortium, the School Administrators Executive Academy, the Child Hope Health Program and the Community Network for Children. He also taught at UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke, and was a member of Terry Sanford's Senior Advisors Council. While in Durham he began his career as a grant writer, authoring funded grants totaling over sixteen million dollars. From 1985-1989 he served as Superintendent of the Moore County Schools where he received thirty-two commendations for leadership. He was named teacher of the year, principal of the year, and superintendent of the year by one or more state level organizations.

Dr. Tyndall began his career at UNCW in 1989, and became dean of the Watson School of Education in 1991. As dean he led the Watson School to state and national prominence receiving five state, three southern United States, and four national awards. He founded the Consortium for the Advancement of Public Education (CAPE), the Professional Development System technology and outreach programs, and the Office of Service to Public Schools.

In the past ten years he secured fourteen million dollars in grants and special state appropriations and was awarded the Governor's Excellence Award in Education, the Bell South Innovations Award, Nortel's Mark of Excellence, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, N.C. PTA Lifetime Achievement Award, and the American Association of School Administration Distinguished Service Award. In January 1999, he was named Vice Chancellor for Information Technology at UNCW, a position in which he continues his pattern of visionary leadership.



Jay M. Robinson 1928-2000

Dr. Jay M. Robinson was born in Mitchell County, North Carolina on May 8, 1928, and died on April 24, 2000. Jay was the son of the late Fred and Geneva Robinson, and he is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Holland Robinson, daughter, Deborah K. Wilson, and son Jay (Robby) M. Robinson, Jr.

Dr. Robinson received his bachelor's degree from Appalachian State University, his masterís degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his doctorate from Duke University. Jay began his professional career as a public school math teacher and coach, and then later became a principal followed by superintendency of Cabarrus County and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Later in his career he became vice president for public affairs and then vice president for special projects for the University of North Carolina system. After his retirement from those positions, he was appointed chairman of the State Board of Education. In that role he was central to the development of the stateís school accountability program, the ABC's of Public Education. Dr. Robinson was a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and after 45 years of service in North Carolina educational system, he retired to live in Wilmington.

Jay was respected statewide and far beyond for his lifelong dedication to improving public education, and for his amazing humor that won the hearts of everyone from tiny children to the highest officials. In recognition of his successful work with legislators and educators to meet critical goals, he was named one of Teacher Magazineís 10 most influential people in American education during the past decade. He received a Razor Walker award in 1995 for his commitment to children and youth. In speaking about Jay during his memorial service, Governor Hunt said, "I believe I can honestly say this was a man of historical dimensions." In that same ceremony, Chancellor James Leutze said, "I've known few people who have so selflessly served others." Another testimonial about his life stated: "He was truly a great man. We all know that he was bestowed with important titles that carried great burden, but it was not the titles that were important to him. He knew that with those titles came a major opportunity and great responsibility for change. Although a public figure, he probably had his greatest impact on the state's most high-powered individuals in the corporate, governmental, and education sectors as he challenged them to face issues and find solutions to problems they may have wished would disappear. He made sure these issues would not disappear, especially in the area of closing the achievement gapóa lifelong area of special focus for Jay. He fought the good fight, all his life.î A family member said that even two days before he passed away, he was on the phone and working behind the scenes, fighting for the greater good - not self-interest.

Because of our deep respect for this outstanding educator, tonight's Razor Walker Awards program is dedicated to the memory and legacy of Jay Robinson.