Chapel Hill To Honor Smith And Thorpe For Social Justice Work

The roster of names on the granite marker outside the Post Office-Courthouse on East Franklin Street will grow longer on Sunday, as UNC Basketball Coach Dean Smith and Town Council member Bill Thorpe join the list of 13 leaders to be posthumously honored for their activism.

William Thorpe is Bill Thorpe’s son. He says the honor means so much to his family.

Bill Thorpe. Photo via Town of Chapel Hill.

“Not everybody’s name gets on the Peace and Justice Plaza. You really have to have shown a commitment to furthering the cause of peace and justice in the Chapel Hill community,” says Thorpe.

Bill Thorpe was elected to three terms on the town council between 1977 and 2008. He died in office during his 11th year of service on the council.

During that time, he led Chapel Hill to become the first town in the nation to observe the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. as an official holiday. He pushed for the town to divest from companies that supported the Apartheid regime in South Africa in the 1980s, and helped create the town’s first paid internship program.

William Thorpe says his father’s good work continued during the years he was out of office as well.

“Even as a private citizen, he wanted to serve the Chapel Hill community. He was the one, more than any other citizen, who was instrumental in bringing to the Town Council the whole idea of renaming Airport Boulevard to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. That was Bill Thorpe.”

Dean Smith at 1997 Eastern Regionals in Syracuse. Photo via Town of Chapel Hill.

Coach Smith is of course known worldwide as one of the most beloved figures in basketball, but he’s also being recognized for his commitment to social justice. During the 1960’s, he recruited Charles Scott, the first black scholarship athlete at UNC, and worked to desegregate local businesses. Smith was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.

Town leaders, colleagues of those being honored, and family members will make remarks and share memories at the unveiling ceremony at three o’clock, followed by a reception in the lobby of the Post Office.

The Wallace Parking Deck at 150 E. Rosemary Street directly behind the plaza is free on Sundays.

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