Farrar, Schoenfeld, Kirby, Thomas each win citiation, $3,500
Four employees have won C. Knox Massey Awards for exceptional service.
Recipients are Thomas P. Farrar, mail center supervisor, Walter Royal Davis Library; Brenda W. Kirby, administrative assistant to the chancellor; Ernest Schoenfeld, associate dean, School of Public Health; and Laura D. Thomas, director of disability services, Division of Student Affairs. Each received a citation and a $3,500 award at a luncheon Saturday attended by Massey family members, friends, relatives and campus officials.
The late C. Knox Massey of Durham created the awards in 1980 to recognize "unusual, meritorious or superior contributions" by employees. The award is supported by the Massey-Weatherspoon Fund created by three generations of Massey and Weatherspoon families.
Farrar
Farrar, a 37-year Carolina employee who heads Davis Library's mail room, keeps a complex international flow of information vital to library patrons running smoothly, his citation said. Duties include mastering international postal, insurance and handling regulations, sometimes for rare and unusual items.
He also oversees equipping and supplying 200 employees in three buildings and heads a receiving unit checking in about $1 million in equipment and supplies annually.
"In all these detailed, complicated operations, [Farrar] is a steadying influence on his hard-pressed colleagues, a calm and courteous source of strength and wisdom," the citation said.
A Chapel Hill native and Lincoln High School graduate, Farrar serves at the Pine Knolls Community Center and the Second Baptist Church in Chapel Hill.
Kirby
Kirby is administrative assistant to Chancellor Michael Hooker, secretary to the University and assistant secretary to the Board of Trustees. During her 24 years at Carolina, she has served the last three chancellors--Hooker, Paul Hardin and Christopher Fordham--and worked for Fordham and Stuart Bondurant when they were medical school deans and for three Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps commanders.
The citation praised Kirby's professionalism, communication skills and grace in managing a five-member staff and interacting with a broad range of constituents. She "has provided irreplaceable support and loyalty to three chancellors (and) has welcomed the chance to do anything in good service to the University," the citation said.
A native Chapel Hillian and a Chapel Hill High School graduate, Kirby attended Croft Business College and completed the University Management and Development Program.
Schoenfeld
Schoenfeld has served the School of Public Health for 25 years, including 15 as associate dean. A specialist in laboratory science administration, he lectures in the policy administration department.
Colleagues admire his problem-solving skills, including "unvarnished candor" and "considerate, nonthreatening advice," because it makes their jobs easier, the award citation said.
Such praise has led Schoenfeld to be asked to chair a UNC system search for an Institute of Nutrition director and to help lead several key campus searches, including chairing one for a dentistry dean. He also headed a campuswide Performance Pay Review Board.
A native of Germany, the Cornell University graduate earned master's and doctoral degrees in public health from Carolina. He is a board member or officer in local American Red Cross and N.C. Symphony chapters.
Thomas
Thomas started at Carolina as a graduate intern in 1978 and later became the first full-time staff person serving people with disabilities. Her office helps about 250 students with permanent or temporary disabilities as well as campus visitors. She works with offices such as housing and telecommunications to ensure all students have equal access to programs. Her office recently produced a large-print map.
Thomas is the "load bearer and the spear point of the University's facilitative assistance to handicapped persons," the citation said. "One need not know the physical odds against which she has labored to perceive her maturity and courage."
A Covington, Va., native and St. Andrews College graduate, she holds a master's degree from Carolina, is past president of the Learning Disabilities Association of North Carolina and helped found the N.C. Association on Higher Education and Disability.
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