Greensboro Awards Key to City to Iconic Alumni Henry E. and Shirley T. Frye

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Sept. 19, 2024) – The City of Greensboro has bestowed another honor on trailblazing North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University alumni Henry E. and Shirley T. Frye.

Mayor Nancy Vaughan presented the iconic couple with the Key to the City at Center City Park – the site of their bronze statue – during a special ceremony Tuesday, Sept. 17, that featured a performance by their alma mater’s Cold Steel Drumline of the renowned Blue and Gold Marching Machine.

The Fryes have called the Gate City home for more than 70 years. This latest honor recognizes the many contributions they have made to the Greensboro community, the State of North Carolina and a host of local nonprofit, academic, civic and professional organizations.

Their statue, unveiled Feb. 20, shows the couple holding hands on top of a singular base with plaques that highlight their contributions.

In June, N.C. A&T formally renamed its Academic Classroom Building for The Fryes, who met while undergraduates, graduated from the university in 1953 and married in 1956.

Henry Frye graduated from A&T with highest honors, majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry and air science. He joined the Air Force upon graduation, serving his country in Korea and Japan. Despite his high academic achievement and military service, he was denied the right to vote in North Carolina by way of the literacy test that was designed to prevent African Americans from participating in the government. He decided to become a lawyer and work to undo systemic racism across North Carolina.

In 1983, Gov. James B. Hunt appointed Henry Frye to the North Carolina Supreme Court, making him its first African American justice. He served with distinction for 16 years, elected to his first full-term position in 1984, then re-elected in 1992. Hunt named chief justice in 1999, retiring in 2001.

Shirley Frye earned her B.S. in education and English and went on to teach at Washington Elementary School. She earned her master’s degree in special education and psychology to become a special education teacher serving the Greensboro community. She later returned to A&T as assistant vice chancellor for development and university relations and as special assistant to the chancellor. She also worked for the state Department of Public Instruction and retired as vice president of community relations at WFMY News 2, where she won an Emmy Award.

In 1985, Shirley Frye also earned North Carolina’s highest civilian award, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. This award highlights individuals who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through their exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments. In 2017, she was named The (Greensboro, North Carolina) News & Record Woman of the Year and in 2022 received the Triad Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business Special Achievement Award. Triad Business Journal

A year later, Triad Business Journal awarded Henry Frye its inaugural Leader in Diversity Legacy Award.