Bert Bennett, UNC alum and political power broker who helped shape NC’s moderate reputation, dies

Posted Jul 18, 2018
Bert L. Bennett Jr., who for 40 years was North Carolina’s most important Democratic Party power broker helping shape the state’s reputation for moderation, died Monday at age 97 in Pfafftown. Bennett, a Winston-Salem businessman, used his extensive statewide network to elevate Democrats Terry Sanford and Jim Hunt to the governor’s office. (Raleigh News & Observer)

Related: Campus Connections

Christmas 1970: James Taylor and Joni Mitchell in Chapel Hill
On Christmas Eve 1970 I had just turned twenty-one and was managing the Record and Tape Center at 456 West Franklin Street. As I was...
Sun Dec 21, 2025

Former North Carolina governor, UNC law school alum Jim Hunt dies at 88
Former Gov. Jim Hunt, who redefined the office of governor in North Carolina, championed public education and helped focus the state's economy on high-tech industries,...
Sat Dec 20, 2025

Best moments from ESPN documentary "Boo-Yah: A Portrait of Stuart Scott"
In 1984, Stuart Scott began attending the University of North Carolina, where he studied journalism. He became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.,...
Thu Dec 18, 2025

UNC grad documents post-Helene recovery
In addition to Carolina’s Spring Commencement, Max Feliu ’25 had another May date circled on his calendar. The filmmaker’s nine-minute documentary on life after Hurricane...
Thu Dec 18, 2025