The University of North Carolina School of Law recently honored Brooks Pierce attorney and former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Henry Frye with a commissioned portrait. The portrait, painted by John Seibels Walker, was a gift from the Class of 2013 to honor Frye’s legacy as a trailblazer in the profession.
More than 100 alumni, students and community members gathered for the unveiling of the portrait at the UNC School of Law Graham Kenan Courtroom. Current North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Martin, UNC School of Law Dean Jack Boger, and Class of 2013 President Jeremy Collins spoke at the event.
“We are immensely proud to claim you, Chief Justice Frye, as our alumnus,” Boger said. “You have given us, given the state, much already. But we want still more. We want you as a perpetual presence for our students, someone who will henceforth oversee this great training ground of all our future lawyers.”
In 1968, Frye became the first African-American to be elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in the 20th century. He served in the State House for 12 years and was then elected to a two-year term in the North Carolina Senate. In 1983, Frye became the first African-American to be elected to serve on the Supreme Court of North Carolina, and in 1999 was appointed chief justice, another first. After retiring from the Court in 2001, Frye joined Brooks Pierce, where he focuses his practice on appellate advocacy, mediation and commercial arbitration.