Thank you for joining us at our first-ever virtual event! We are delighted so many of you joined us.
We are so grateful to Judge Whichard for his excellent talk on civility–and, of course, for his past and current leadership.
His remarks will be available soon, and you can learn more about him below!
We also offer thanks to the fantastic Kate Medley for the outstanding video of the new Main Library. We are so excited to share it with you, and even more excited to see the doors open.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A special presentation: Civility in the Public Discourse
by Judge Willis P. Whichard, on Wednesday, September 16 at 7:00pm.
Judge Whichard is a prominent figure in North Carolina politics and education. He is the only person in the history of North Carolina who has served in both houses of the state legislature and on both of the state’s appellate courts; he was Associate Justice of the NC Supreme Court from 1986-98, thereafter serving as Dean and Professor of Law at Campbell University. Along the way, he served for eight years as President of the Durham Library Foundation, and is now a member of the Durham County Library Board of Trustees. Judge Whichard’s essay was first presented to the Downtown Durham Rotary Club as one of a three part series on Civility.
BIOGRAPHICAL DATA: WILLIS P. WHICHARD
Born in Durham. Resident of Durham until 2002; Chatham County, N.C., 2002–2017; Town of Chapel Hill and County of Durham, 2017–prsent. Part-time residence in Hayesville, N.C., since 1979.
Family
Married with two daughters and 6 grandchildren.
Education
Durham (N.C.) City Schools: 1946-1958
University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill): A.B., 1962 (Phi Beta Kappa and other honorary societies); J.D., 1965 (Law Review, Order of the Coif).
University of Virginia: LL.M., 1984; S.J.D., 1994.
Military
Enlisted man, N.C. Army National Guard, 1966-1972.
Religious Affiliation
Baptist; active churchman.
Political Affiliation
Democrat.
Professional
Law Clerk, Justice (later Chief Justice) William H. Bobbitt, N.C. Supreme Court, 1965-1966.
Practicing Attorney, Powe, Porter, Alphin & Whichard, P.A., Durham, N.C., 1966-1980; Moore & Van Allen, Research Triangle Park, N.C., 2006-2013; Tillman, Whichard & Cagle, PLLC, Chapel Hill, N.C., September 1, 2013 –.
Member American, N.C., and 18th Judicial District (Orange and Chatham Counties) Bar Associations.
Teaching
Instructor in Business Law, Duke University Graduate School of Business Administration, 1978.
Adjunct Professor, U.N.C. School of Law, 1986-1999.
U.N.C. Undergraduate Honors Program, 1992.
Dean and Professor of Law, Campbell University, 1999-2006.
Public Service
NC General Statutes Commission, 1969-1973.
NC House of Representatives, 1970-1974.
NC Senate, 1974-1980.
Judge, NC Court of Appeals, 1980-1986.
Associate Justice, NC Supreme Court, 1986-1998.
(Note: Justice Whichard is the only person in the history of North Carolina who has served in both houses of the state legislature and on both of the state’s appellate courts.)
Chair and member of numerous committees and commissions.
Honors
Numerous academic, state and community service awards.
Community Activities
Numerous memberships, boards, etc.
Publications
Numerous articles and addresses in legal, historical, and governmental publications.
Judicial opinions reported in volumes 49-82, N.C. Court of Appeals Reports; volumes 318-349 N.C. Reports (Supreme Court).
Book: Justice James Iredell (Durham, N.C.: Carolina Academic Press, 2000).
Listed
Who’s Who in America
Who’s Who in the South and Southeast
Who’s Who in American Law
Who’s Who in American Politics