Wicker
awarded Order of the
Long Leaf Pine
Jake
Wicker supported himself by gripping the lectern, having cast
aside the walker he used for the few steps from his seat to the
front of the room.
His brain and extremities don't communicate well these days, but
then people tell him that communication gap has existed for many
years, he quipped. He let go of the podium long enough to thump
his chest, revealing the rigid "clamshell" that braces his spine,
now brittle from the effects of prostate cancer. He said he hoped
this event was not a roast or a wake. Indeed, it was far from
either.
About 150 of Wicker's family, friends and associates gathered
to pay tribute to him Oct. 19 in the atrium of the new wing of
the University's School of Government, where a ribbon-cutting
ceremony was held for a classroom named in his honor. After Wicker
had made his remarks, entertaining the audience with anecdotes
from his career, he was surprised when he was presented with the
Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina's highest civilian
honor.
Ellis Hankins, executive director of the North Carolina League
of Municipalities, who presented the award, described Wicker as
an esteemed mentor, a model of grace and wit. To him, he said,
the popular acronym WWJD means: "What would Jake do?"
While cancer has eaten away at his spine, it hasn't broken Wicker's
backbone. He has an office on campus and at home, where he is
becoming familiar with a new computer and Internet connection.
His native stubbornness helps, according to his wife, Peachee.
A Carolina alumnus and faculty member for 47 years, Warren J.
Wicker has consulted with and provided training for nearly every
group of public officials the institute serves.
"I
cannot think of anyone who has done more than Jake Wicker to improve
the quality of local government, even though I know that is a
broad statement," Hankins said. " All of our citizens enjoy better
government because of his efforts."
Michael R. Smith, dean of the School of Government, said it is
appropriate that a classroom be named in Wicker's honor.
"Jake
has led a life devoted to teaching, whether in a classroom, over
the telephone or in a meeting. He has been more than a teacher
for local officials -- he also has been a model and a mentor for
countless institute faculty members."
Wicker, the Gladys Hall Coates professor emeritus of public law
and government and assistant director emeritus of the Institute
of Government, retired in 1991 after 36 years as assistant director
of the institute.
Since then, he has continued on the faculty part-time working
on special projects in his areas of specialization, including
municipal and county administration, city-county consolidation,
public purchasing, water and sewer services and solid waste administration.
Among his many awards, Wicker cites his honorary membership in
the International City and County Managers Association and his
appointment as the first honorary member of the National Purchasing
Institute as two of the most significant.
The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is presented to individuals who
have a proven record of extraordinary service to the state. Contributions
to their communities, extra effort in their careers and many years
of service to their organizations are some of the guidelines by
which recipients are selected for this award. The Order of the
Long Leaf Pine is among the most prestigious awards presented
by the governor of North Carolina. Past recipients include Maya
Angelou and Billy Graham.
Edgerly
wins one of four Massey service awards
John
White Edgerly never knew what he was going to have for breakfast.
Or more accurately, who.
The Edgerly breakfast table seated eight family members, from
parents and siblings to his grandmother and great grandmother.
But because of his father, there were always one or two invited
guests around the table as well, young or old.
Sometimes, it was a kid whose father had just lost a job. Sometimes,
it was a kid who had lost a father. On one occasion, at least,
it was a kid whose father had recently gone away to prison.
"I
never saw my father refuse a request for a handout," Edgerly said.
"When I queried him about his generosity, especially when he had
just denied me the cost of a Coke -- five cents back then -- he
would reply: `There but for the grace of God go I.'"
Edgerly said he never really understood what his father was trying
to explain to him until much later in life. But he credits his
father's compassion as an early, inescapable influence that has
kept people and their concerns in the front of his attention his
entire life.
Edgerly, who now serves as director of Counseling and Psychology
Services, or "CAPS," was one of four University employees honored
this past May with a C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Award.
"I
was truly surprised when I received the call from Chancellor (James)
Moeser telling me that I was a recipient of the award," Edgerly
said in a recent interview. "I am flattered and honored by the
award. It is clearly the most significant event of my professional
experience."
The citation details how Edgerly was appointed two decades ago
as the new director of its Student Development and Counseling
Center and how Edgerly's career here has spanned a succession
of national crises from the Vietnam War to Watergate to the new
stresses and uncertainties brought up after Sept. 11.
"In
him they found a man of skill in dealing with persons, judicious
in temperament, fair and unfailingly courteous in his treatment
of others," the citation reads.
In 1991, the Division of Student Affairs formed a standing committee
on counseling out of which Edgerly would work to coordinate his
center's work with other University agencies that specialized
in areas from career services to accommodating students with disabilities.
In 1999, when psychological services and counseling services were
merged into a single department, Edgerly provided the leadership
necessary to achieve a smooth transition, the citation said.
In addition to his father's influence, Edgerly credits clinical
psychology professor Henry Paar with directing him on his career
path. Paar served as Edgerly's faculty mentor during both his
undergraduate and master's degree studies, and he became like
a second father to him who set the example of the kind of professional
Edgerly aspired to be, he said.
Edgerly had considered going into law, or medicine, or even the
ministry and had gone as far as applying and being accepted to
law school. A lack of funding steered him instead toward earning
a master's degree in psychological services.
Another turning point in his life came in 1982. At the time, he
was an associate director at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville
and trying to run a thriving private practice he had started five
years earlier.
The problem, he found, was time. There were days he did not get
home until the wee hours of morning, particularly because of his
hospital rounds. Making matters worse was that his son Nathan
had just been born and it occurred to Edgerly that he was "missing
out on a lot of the early childhood wonders."
He was at a crossroads, he knew, and knew he was going to have
to decide between going into full-time private practice and seeking
a directorship
at a counseling center. And it was during this period of indecision
that he received
a call from his vice chancellor at Tennessee who told him about
the opening for the directorship at Carolina.
"To
make a long story short, after 18 years in Tennessee, I was offered
the job, accepted, gathered up my family and headed east to Chapel
Hill," Edgerly said. "I have never questioned my decision in coming
to Carolina. It felt right from the very beginning. The community
was perfect for my family and put us equal distance from the natural
environments we love the most, the mountains and the ocean."
He now has worked at Carolina longer than he was at Tennessee,
and in that time there have been challenges and opportunities,
from the fraternity house fire to the Williamson homicides.
Two governors have appointed him a member of the North Carolina
Psychology Board. As chair of this board, he has served as the
hearings officer for cases brought against psychologists.
Another highlight is that his son earned both his bachelor's degree
in philosophy and master's degree in accounting from Carolina.
The years, he hopes, have changed him for the better.
"Aside
from being a lot older and I hope wiser, I think that I am a much
better manager than I was 20 years ago," Edgerly said.
"I
not only think more along inclusive management lines, but I think
I behave that way much more thoroughly and consistently. I think
my staff is much more productive because of it and feel that what
they think counts and that they have greater control over their
work lives.
"Additionally,
I do believe that I more greatly appreciate the contributions
of my profession to the enhancement of people's lives and living,
and I think that I am a far better psychotherapist/counselor than
I was 20 years ago."
Thorp named 2002 Distinguished Young Alumnus
Alumnus
and faculty member H. Holden Thorp Jr. has been recognized by
the General Alumni Association (GAA) with the GAA's 2002 Distinguished
Young Alumnus award.
The GAA saluted Thorp's achievements in the chemistry lab and
on the stage and acknowledged his next goal: to lead the ambitious
project designed to develop the Morehead Planetarium and Science
Center and to transform the Morehead into a diverse public science
showcase.
The GAA award continues a 12-year tradition honoring alumni age
40 or younger whose achievements bring credit to the University.
The award was presented to Thorp by GAA President Doug Dibbert
at a recent GAA Board of Directors meeting.
Thorp learned the world of the theater from his parents, music
on his own and chemistry from some of the best minds in science.
He has meshed the three to create a Renaissance man who is leading
an important Carolina initiative and giving tirelessly to his
community.
Fascinated with chemistry, he applied a vast imagination and a
considerable stage presence in the classroom to become one of
Carolina's most popular professors. His love for his alma mater
kept other universities at bay when, at age 27, he was awarded
a $500,000 grant for research in genetic therapy.
Thorp's research includes laying new groundwork in the field of
chemistry, particularly in DNA research, along with exploring
the commercial possibilities of electrochemical detection technology
to analyze DNA, RNA and proteins. He is a highly decorated teacher,
a recipient of the Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate
Teaching, the Ruth and Philip Hettleman Prize for Artistic and
Scholarly Achievement and numerous science awards.
Thorp has lent his non-scientific talents to his church. In his
hometown of Fayetteville, he wrote an anthem for the dedication
of a building at St. John's Episcopal Church and also has written
music for Church of the Holy Family in Chapel Hill. When he has
time, he plays in a rock band and does some acting.
Among the past 26 recipients of the Distinguished Young Alumnus
awards are basketball star Michael Jordan, soccer player Mia Hamm
and author Kaye Gibbons.
Decorations
& Distinctions
Gordon
H. DeFriese
Professor
of social medicine, epidemiology, and health policy and administration
and former director of the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services
Research, DeFriese has been named the recipient of the Porter
Prize from the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public
Health for his outstanding work in health promotion and disease
prevention.
Mel
Levine
Director
of the Clinical Center for the Study of Development and Learning,
Levine recently received the Milton J.E. Senn Award from the American
Academy of Pediatrics for accomplishments in school health. Levine
has pioneered programs for the evaluation of children with learning,
development or behavioral problems
for more than 25 years.
Diana
Levy
Assistant
director of the International Center, Levy received a Fulbright
grant for the 2002-03 U.S.-Japan International Education Administrators
Program for travel and research to Japan regarding higher education,
society and culture in Japan. The program, which focuses on examining
Japanese academic infrastructure and culture, involved
briefings, appointments with selected government officials, campus
visits, cultural activities and meetings with Japanese international
education professionals in Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima.
Hugh
Tilson
Clinical
professor of epidemiology and health policy and senior adviser
to the dean of the School of Public Health, Tilson has received
the Distinguished Service Award from the International Society
for Pharmacoepidemiology. This is the second time in the society's
12 years that the award has been given.
Joel
Tepper
Chair
of the Department of Radiation Oncology, Tepper has been elected
president of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and
Oncology, the largest radiation oncology society in the world.
The society works to improve and enhance the practice of radiation
oncology both in the United States and internationally.
Timothy
A. Turvey
Chairman
of the School of Dentistry's Department
of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Turvey recently represented
the American Association
of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons at the opening ceremonies of
the Second World Cleft Congress in Munich, Germany.
Morris Weinberger
Vergil
N. Slee distinguished professor of healthcare quality management
in the School of Public Health's Department of Health Policy and
Administration, Weinberger has received the Vision
Award of the Improving Chronic Illness Care program for his research
on methods to improve the care of patients with arthritis, diabetes
and other major chronic conditions.
