Sanford School of Public Policy
Duke University

The Chronicle - Sanford funeral draws thousands

Late North Carolina legend laid to rest in Chapel following morning ceremony

Richard Rubin and Katherine Stroup

The lonely bugle sounded the notes of "Taps" as six stoic, olive-clad soldiers lifted the American flag from Terry Sanford's casket. Thomas Langford, former dean of the Divinity School and yesterday's presiding minister, lingered behind them on the steps before the Chapel's altar. Grief etched on his face, Langford looked down on the unadorned coffin of his longtime friend and wiped from his eyes the collected tears of North Carolina's thousands of mourners.

The moment provided a somber counterpoint to the words of the morning's six featured speakers, each of whom challenged and implored those in attendance to remember that Terry Sanford's body was being laid to rest, not his spirit.

Each speaker represented one of the many paths that Sanford traveled during his exceptional life: governor, state representative, philanthropist, lawyer, professor, University president. And with composure that belied their sorrow, they stepped to the lectern, offering humorous anecdotes and boundless praise.

"I look back and down the long road of his life and accomplishments," said J. Dickson Phillips, a senior judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit and a boyhood friend of Sanford, "some portions of which, it was my good fortune to share."

As a friend, mentor and role model, Sanford shared his life with many others, using his unique leadership style to drive his colleagues to unimaginable heights.

"The amazing, almost mystical thing about Terry Sanford, a senior partner in [his] law firm once told me, was his ability-his rare knack and ability-to get ordinary people to do unordinary and extraordinary things," said Daniel Blue, a University trustee and former speaker of the N.C. House of Representatives.

"Terry Sanford was our hero," echoed Mary D.B.T. Semans, chair of the Duke Endowment. "We referred to ourselves as being part of the family. He made us feel that we were on his magic carpet and that he expected us to do things we never dreamed we were capable of."

Given Sanford's remarkable ability to inspire others and foster social activism, Governor Jim Hunt jokingly suggested that, even in heaven, Sanford is probably still waging progressive battles.

"I suspect by now he has almost certainly had his orientation session with the Lord, and it was not a one-way conversation," he said, drawing the ceremony's first wave of laughter from the packed Chapel audience. "I expect he has given the Lord a few good ideas for improving Heaven-some of which should be done in the next 30 days. And almost certainly, if he has found any poverty, any discrimination, any poor schools, any worthy arts ideas, there are projects underway, even now."

Through the projects Sanford envisioned and implemented during his lifetime, he surpassed the usual expectations of political leadership, said President Nan Keohane. "Terry Sanford was, in truth, a leader-hero," she said. "We are all better, and stronger, and more optimistic about the future because of the lasting legacies of Terry Sanford's life and leadership."

This legacy persists beyond the institutions he created-the Governor's School, the N.C. School of the Arts, the state's community college system; it encompasses the lessons he taught while achieving those ends.

"Terry has walked among us, and we have relearned that human life can express love and loyalty, justice and hope," Langford eulogized, "that humanity can possess passion and compassion, friendship and challenge, and, now, death and resurrection."

Many of the speakers alluded to resurrection, enforcing their conviction that Sanford's spirit remains with the people of North Carolina, the people whose well-being he spent a lifetime championing.

"The real Terry Sanford can never be buried," said Professor of Law and Public Policy Joel Fleishman, who helped found the Terry Sanford Institute for Public Policy. "The real Terry Sanford animated that body, and it is that spirit that we come here to celebrate and love. And that spirit can never be interred in the earth."

Yet, even as Fleishman spoke of Sanford's quasi-immortality, he noted ironically that such lofty praise probably would have prompted a quip from the often-irascible Sanford. "I think he would probably blush and fire back a few ripostes at what all of us are saying about him today," he said.

Sanford might have found yesterday's praises excessive, but that possibility certainly did not deter the speakers from honoring their mentor and leader.

"When we leave today, we will leave the body of our hero in this Chapel. We will leave it here because no other structure is sufficiently magnificent to serve as the final resting place for a life as magnificent as his," Hunt said.

Sanford was laid to rest in the Chapel's crypt during a private ceremony following the memorial service.

After the funeral, much of the congregation paid their respects to the Sanford family in a reception held in the Bryan Center's Von Canon Hall.

Colleagues and friends crowded the room, fondly swapping stories of Terry Sanford and of the profound mark he left on them all.

"Here was a man who represented the ultimate in vision, decency and integrity," said Samuel DuBois Cook, the University's first black professor. "I don't know what I'd do without Terry. I just feel less secure in this world without Terry Sanford."

The conversations inevitably turned to the powerful memorial service, as friends and family reflected on its attempts to adequately describe the spirit of such a vibrant man.

"The main thing I realized is that the speakers, eloquent as they are-as brilliant as they are-it's hard to find words to capture Terry Sanford," said Charlie Rose, Trinity '64, Law '68 and host of a syndicated talk show.

Sanford's daughter, Betsee, remarked that the ceremony would have made her father proud.

"Daddy wanted an old-fashioned Methodist ceremony, and he got one," she said. "I think if he had gotten the chance to hand pick this, he would have done exactly the same thing. It was wonderful for us."

Throughout the day, Sanford's friends cited the importance of continuing his work and honoring his legacy.

"Terry's fire will never go out, but we must vow to carry on his fight to make the world better for everyone-for all the people," Semans said. "We must never let him down. So call out the trumpets and celebrate the life of this great man who was our great friend."

Devin Gordon contributed to this story.

© 1998 The Chronicle / Duke University  Used by permission.