A new University monument honoring the founding trustees of the nation's first state university to open its doors was unveiled in June.
Located on the terrace against the north wall of Person Hall, the 18-and-a-half-foot marble monument features a bronze plaque listing the first 55 members of the Board of Trustees. A bronze profile of Gen. William R. Davie, considered the University's founder, is near the monument's top.
Chapel Hill businessman Thomas S. Kenan III proposed the monument in 1993. It was commissioned by him, Owen G. Kenan, Elizabeth Kenan Howell, Ann H. Kenan and Owen Gwyn in memory of their ancestor Gen. James Kenan, a founding trustee, and in honor of Frank H. Kenan, a longtime Carolina benefactor.
"I had thought for many years about the fact that there is no place on campus to recognize the founding trustees," said Thomas Kenan, noting that the campus was opened 200 years ago this year. "It's a wonderful opportunity to do something about that."
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