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

Tar Heel football players get passports for Ireland
Tar Heel football players took advantage of a campus program to acquire passports ahead of the team’s season-opening game in Dublin, Ireland. Carolina’s Phillips Passport...
Sun Aug 2, 2026

Andy Griffith’s daughter reflects on her father’s legacy, North Carolina roots
For generations of tv viewers, Andy Griffith was Sheriff Andy Taylor, who was the wise and kindhearted lawman of the fictional town of Mayberry. To...
Sat Aug 1, 2026

Best-selling novelist, UNC alum Sarah Dessen reflects on her ‘Change of Plans’
At UNC, Sarah Dessen initially chose psychology as her major. But after she took a creative writing class with the late Doris Betts, she was...
Wed Jul 29, 2026

A guide to Chapel Hill's vibrant music scene
Some of my favorite memories at Chapel Hill have taken place in loud rooms lit by colorful stage lights. Listening to live music with friends...
Tue Jul 28, 2026