Ralph Frasier, One of the First Black Undergraduates at UNC, Dies at 85

Posted May 23, 2024
Ralph Frasier, who in 1955 became one of the first three Black undergraduate students to attend UNC, died last week. He was 85. Frasier, along with brother LeRoy and John Lewis Brandon, applied to UNC the year after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that “separate but equal” schools for Black and white students were unconstitutional. (Chapelboro.com)

Related: Campus Connections

When a Cold War trip to the USSR turned into a bizarre basketball game for UNC faculty and students
50 yrs ago, one of the most bizarre & hilariously mismatched basketball games in UNC history took place – and almost no one knows about...
Wed Apr 29, 2026

‘A space to breathe:’ The Coker Arboretum’s enduring legacy
There once was just one tree in the space that is now the Coker Arboretum. More than 120 years later, that overcup oak still stands...
Mon Apr 27, 2026

Rick Dees - UNC alum, legendary radio DJ, and singer - turns 76
Rick Dees was born in Jacksonville, Florida and raised in Greensboro, NC. He began his radio career in high school at a Greensboro radio station...
Sun Apr 26, 2026

From a Dirt Road to a Destination: A History of Franklin Street
In Chapel Hill, Franklin Street has been the main thoroughfare for decades and a must-see destination. When residents welcome guests to town, they take them...
Fri Apr 24, 2026