The Chronicle - Family, friends, colleagues of Sanford recall fond memories

Former University President Terry Sanford touched the lives of mourners who attend his closed-casket viewing in the Chapel yesterday afternoon.

Inside the Chapel, the mood was somber as mourners from across the state sat quietly in their pews, lamenting the loss of a leader who navigated North Carolina through periods of racial unrest, educational strife and massive industrial growth. Heads bent and hands folded, the crowd sat before a mass of white lilies surrounding the flag-draped casket of Terry Sanford, former University president and political icon. The mood was one befitting the dark semi-gloom of the Chapel.

Outside, however, a group of men stood in a circle, speculating about which one-liner Sanford would have used to break the silence and ease the tension. Still in mourning, they joined together with friends to celebrate Sanford's life.

"Most of the people here today and this evening are from the area or are personal friends," said Sam Poole, longtime friend of the family. "Tomorrow, I assume there will be dignitaries of state. These are more just some people who were personally touched by him."

And Sanford touched many lives, from his secretaries, who volunteered their nights as babysitters and campaign workers, to the children who came of age when Sanford was in his political prime. These friends and supporters met and mingled on the Chapel quad yesterday, sharing their stories of Sanford's unique brand of wit and determination.

"We were in high school when he ran for governor, and we really felt that he contributed far greater to this state than many other governors, before or since," said Ken Barnes, a Raleigh resident. "He did so many extraordinary things, and we remember those things and celebrate them."

Friends shared their personal anecdotes and past remembrances, but also spoke reverently about the legacy Sanford will leave the University, the state and the nation.

"On one level, he was a friend and supporter, and on another level, he was a great man," said Curtis Gans, a former editor of The Daily Tar Heel who first met Sanford in 1960. "And great men leave legacies long beyond their lives."

"The state will always be indebted to the peaceful and genteel way he handled racial problems in North Carolina," Gans continued. "It used to be that you could sum up Duke by standing in front of the James B. Duke statue over there and looking through its legs up at the Chapel. Duke was an institution standing for authoritarianism and the church, and this is a vastly different and incredibly more important University because of [Sanford]."

Although the registration books located just inside the Chapel doors currently contain only a few names-mostly residents of Durham, Raleigh and Cary who flocked to the University to pay homage to a political hero-they will soon be filled with the names and good wishes of U.S. senators and members of the House of Representatives. Ten senators-including John Glenn, D-Ohio, Lauch Faircloth, R-NC, and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.-have already confirmed their attendance, and many more are expected, including Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, Secretary of Education Dick Riley, as well as North Carolinian democratic representatives David Price, Bob Etheridge and Eva Clayton are also expected.

Tomorrow at 11 a.m., these and other politicians, philanthropists and friends will travel from across the country to flood the Chapel and pay their last respects. The service will include hymns, selections by the choir and remembrances by North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt, President Nan Keohane, Chair of the Duke Endowment Mary Semans, University trustee Daniel Blue, Court of Appeals Senior Judge J. Dickerson Phillips and Professor of Public Policy Joel Fleishman.

© 1998 The Chronicle / Duke University  Used by permission.

Sanford's casket arrives at the Duke Chapel