Henry Frye
 This week’s NC Notable is a man of firsts.
Henry Frye is the first African-American in 1983 to serve on the NC Supreme Court. He became the court’s first black Chief Justice in 1999 when then Gov. Jim Hunt appointed him to the post.
Like most pioneers, Frye began his journey on the dusty back-roads of society. He was born in 1932 and raised in the tobacco farming community of Ellerbe, NC in Richmond County.
Frye graduated with honors from Mineral Springs High School and North Carolina A & T State University. He entered the United States Air Force and served in Japan and Korea.
Frye was denied the right to vote after fighting for freedom abroad and decided to become a lawyer. He was the first African-American to complete a full law degree at UNC-Chapel Hill Law School.
In 1968, he was the first African-American to be elected to the NC House of Representatives in the 20th century. He served 12 years in the House and two years in the state Senate.
As Chief Justice, Frye cultivated an impartial, well-trained court that saw justice as open to everyone. Henry Frye’s ability to think of himself last while putting others first, makes him an NC Notable.
Previous NC Notables
12.22.2005 Gene Boyce
12.15.2005 Doris Betts
12.08.2005 Molly Corbett Broad
12.01.2005 John Hope Franklin
11.24.2005 Richard Petty
11.17.2005 Annabelle Lundy Fetterman
11.10.2005 James Baxter Hunt
11.03.2005 Maya Angelou
10.27.2005 Mike Krzyzewski
10.20.2005 Jim Broyhill
10.13.2005 Reynolds Price
10.06.2005 Kay Yow
09.29.2005 Van Eure
09.22.2005 Mary Semans
09.15.2005 John Dornan
09.08.2005 Eva Clayton
09.01.2005 Lois Britt
08.25.2005 Fred Barber
08.18.2005 Julius Chambers
08.11.2005 Martha Guy
08.04.2005 Nido Qubein
07.28.2005 Jeanette Hyde
07.21.2005 Billy Graham
07.14.2005 Lee Smith
07.07.2005 Ralph Ketner
06.30.2005 Thomas Hearn
06.23.2005 John Allison
06.16.2005 Jim Martin
06.02.2005 Darleen Johns
05.26.2005 Hugh Morton
05.19.2005 Bernie Mann
05.12.2005 Orrin H. Pilkey
05.05.2005 William Friday
04.28.2005 Annie Louise Wilkerson
04.21.2005 Martin Lancaster
04.14.2005 Shirley Caesar
04.07.2005 Carl Fox
03.31.2005 Bob Jordan
03.24.2005 Ann T. Denlinger
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