Winston, chairman of LPMC Inc. and president of
White Oak Land and Development Co. and of Omega
Insurance Co., was recognized for his leadership gift
to name the UNC European Study Center in Winston
House in London.
■ obituaries
Arthur Chase Ambler Jr. (’ 54), 77, of Asheville; Oct.
24, 2008. Ambler’s primary career was as a swimming
and diving coach. For 26 years, he coached at The
Asheville School, which named its pool in his honor.
Ambler was on the boards of Friends of the Blue Ridge
Parkway, the Asheville Community Arts Council and
the Western N.C. Woodturners. In retirement, he was
executive director of Asheville Community Concerts
(now the Asheville Bravo Concerts). He served in the
Army. At UNC, he was on the swimming and diving
teams and a member of The Daily Tar Heel staff.
John Warren Andrews (’ 56 BSPHR), 75, of Winston-Salem; Nov. 28, 2008. Andrews owned and operated
two pharmacies in Winston-Salem for 48 years. He
was a founding member of the International Academy
of Compounding Pharmacists, which named him a lifetime member. He was a member of a number of professional organizations. He performed in his
Moravian church’s Easter band for 55 years. At UNC,
he belonged to Kappa Psi and was president of his
pharmacy class his junior year. Pryde William
“Buzzy” Basinger Jr. (’ 58), 72, of Greensboro; Nov.
10, 2008. Basinger retired as head of Greensboro’s
mortgage operation for Wachovia Bank and Trust Co.
A golfer, he held a number of golf titles and was on
the golf team at UNC, winning the ACC golf championship in 1956. Thomas Braswell Battle (’ 51 AB),
79, of Rocky Mount; Dec. 21, 2008. Battle formerly
was chairman and president of The Rocky Mount
Mills and vice president of The Rocky Mount Cord
Co. He and his brother established the Hyman L.
Battle Teaching Award in UNC’s medical school in
honor of their father. While at UNC, Battle belonged
to Zeta Psi. He was the great-grandson of former
UNC President Kemp Battle. Carolyn Myers Bizzell
(’ 59 AB), 71, of Raleigh; Nov. 25, 2008. Early in her
career, Bizzell was an administrative assistant with
the N.C. Confederate Centennial Commission. At
UNC, she was a member of Kappa Delta and Valkyries.
Susan Freeman Bossong (’ 56 ABEd), 74, of
Asheboro; Nov. 6, 2008. Bossong was president of
the Asheboro Public Library Foundation, a member
of her church Altar Guild and a regent of her chapter
of the Daughters of the American Revolution. At UNC,
she belonged to Phi Mu. Myers Griffin “Sonny”
Braxton (’ 52 AB), 80, of Godwin; Nov. 25, 2008.
Braxton, a former educator, started the first athletic
program at Linden schools. He recently served five
years as a commissioner for Godwin. He retired as a
superintendent for N.C. State Parks, was a former
employee of Groundwater Management for the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources
and owner of Braxton Landscape Management Co.
He served in the Army. Wesley Scott Brewer (’ 58
ABEd), 78, of Durham; Nov. 24, 2008. Brewer was a
library book and textbook salesman. He was active
with Habitat for Humanity. The “Geezer’s Crew,” of
which he was part, will build a Habitat house in his
honor. He served in the Air Force in the Korean War
before attending UNC. Barbara Seaman Buckley
(’ 56 AB), 74, of Croton-on-Hudson, N. Y.; Nov. 22,
2008. Buckley retired as executive director of the
Burden Center for the Aging. At UNC, she belonged to
Chi Omega. Bernice Fraust Bullard Jr. (’ 57), 74, of
Beaufort; Dec. 12, 2008. After working with the
state’s appraisal division, Bullard founded Bern
Bullard Industries and built apartments, subdivisions
and commercial buildings, including the state’s first
outlet mall, retiring in 1991. He served with the
Marine Corps, stationed in Okinawa. Oscar Nesbitt
“Ned” Burgess Jr. (’ 50 ABJO), 80, of Charlotte; Nov.
19, 2008. Burgess was the retired president and
treasurer of Carolina Newspapers Inc. and was publisher of two S.C. newspapers. In retirement, he
worked in a junior high school library. He was in the
Army Reserve in the Korean War. Robert Philip
Burgess (’ 57), 73, of Covington, Ga.; Nov. 21, 2008.
Burgess practiced law for 10 years before moving to
retail sales and owning the Youth Community Store.
He retired to Mineral Bluff, Ga. James Russell
Burleson (’ 50), 85, of Chapin, S.C.; Nov. 27, 2008.
Burleson retired as a lab supervisor at the Atomic
Energy Commission’s Savannah River Plant. He was
in the Army in WWII, participating in the Battle of the
Bulge. Solomon Gilmer Cherry (’ 53 AB, ’ 56 LLB),
75, of Boone; Dec. 10, 2008. Cherry retired as chief
judge of the 12th Judicial District in Cumberland
County. Earlier, he was an assistant district attorney
and the state’s first duly sworn public defender. He
recently marked 50 years as a lawyer, which included
public service and private practice. In the Air Force,
he was a judge advocate general officer. At UNC, he
belonged to Lambda Chi, Philanthropic Society and
student government. Dr. Chalmers Fred Clark Jr.
(’ 56 DDS), 77, of Durham; Dec. 7, 2008. Clark practiced general dentistry until retiring in 1996. He was
a 50-year member of his church, active with Boy
Scouts and past president of the Third District of the
N.C. Dental Society. After dental school, he served in
the Air Force. At UNC, he belonged to Delta Sigma
Delta. John Woltz Comer Jr. (’ 53, ’ 54 BSBA), 79,
of Dobson; Dec. 5, 2008. Comer owned radio station
WYZD. After college, he joined the Air Force, specializing in reconnaissance intelligence and supply. He
REBECCA SELLARS CLARK 1915–2009
She Led Drive to Improve Conditions for University Workers
In early January, 800 mourners gathered in sages and cleaning after the young men. In for better working conditions
the Chapel Hill Bible Church to commem- 1933, she married John Clark, a UNC janitor, were met. In 1998, UNC renovated the old
orate the life of Rebecca Sellars Clark, who and capped her long laundry and renamed the building
had died in her home on Jan. 3 at age 93. work days knocking on in honor of Clark and fellow
COURTESY THE CLARK FAMILY
“She gave hope to the hopeless, and she was doors to get her neigh- organizer Kennon Cheek.
a living example of how I define faith,” said bors to register to vote. She and John Clark had two
Howard Lee ’ 66 (MSW), former Chapel Hill She committed herself to sons, Doug and John Jr., who
mayor and chair of the state Board of electoral politics and formed the band Doug Clark and
Education. “Faith is believing in what you can- hammered away at her the Hot Nuts; her grandson, Doug
not see and then achieving what you believe. cause, becoming a leader Clark Jr., still leads the band. As
To me, she was truly a hero.” for the Democratic the family grew, the Clarks, look-
From age 17 until her retirement in 1979, Party. ing for better housing, applied to
Clark worked for UNC, first as a maid in Old At her next job, as a the UNC workers’ housing at
East, then as a presser in the laundry and finally presser at the University Glen Lennox. When they were
as a nurse in the infirmary. Mrs. Clark, as she laundry, long days stand- told those houses were for whites
liked to be addressed, made her name at UNC ing in the heat for low only, Mrs. Clark demanded an
by calling the institution to task for its short- wages made her a vocif- alternative and led a drive that
To recognize her advocacy for workers,
comings. erous workers’ represen- the University renamed its renovated pressed UNC to set aside land
laundry building for Rebecca Clark.
Clark graduated from The Orange County tative. Joining forces with west of Merritt Mill Road for
Training School in Chapel Hill and took the representatives of the black workers’ housing. As family,
best work then available to a young black janitors and dining hall workers, Clark met friends and co-workers will attest, “no” was
woman, the maid job in Old East. She remem- with President Frank Porter Graham (class of not an answer Mrs. Clark liked to hear.
bered all her life the indignity of fetching mes- 1909), refusing to back down until demands — Susan Simone
in
memoriam
