Six Honored with Massey Awards as Program Marks 25th Year

Posted on April 28, 2004

Carolina honored six employees with 2004 C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Awards, one of the most coveted honors bestowed by the university, on April 24.

Recipients are Sandra Caulberg, administrative officer, Office of University Counsel, of Haw River; David R. Godschalk, professor, department of city and regional planning, College of Arts and Sciences, of Chapel Hill; Linda A. Naylor, administrative assistant, Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, of Durham; David R. Perry, executive associate dean for administration, School of Medicine, of Chapel Hill; Avon Seymore, grounds crew leader, Facilities Services Division, of Pittsboro; and Elizabeth B. “Betsy” Taylor, student services manager, Academic Advising Program, General College and the College of Arts and Sciences, of Chapel Hill.

Chancellor James Moeser hosted a luncheon for the honorees at The Carolina Inn, and – in recognition of this, the 25th anniversary of the awards – past recipients also were invited to take part in the luncheon.

Moeser selected this year’s recipients based on nominations submitted by the campus community, and each honoree will receive an award citation and a $6,000 stipend. This year, the endowment’s growth enabled an increase in award recipients from four to six, and the monetary award also increased by $1,000.

Among this year’s winners, several are described by nominators as repositories of institutional memory, and they frequently represent the face of Carolina on people’s first contact with the University. One has been at the heart of Carolina’s physical growth. Another comes behind him to make sure that growth is blended seamlessly into the landscape of the campus. One has been instrumental in setting up collaborative programs, building bridges between individuals and schools. And another practices crisis management on a daily basis as she serves on the front line between seniors and graduation day.

The award fund was started in 1980 by Durham advertising executive C. Knox Massey ’25. Massey founded his ad agency in 1930 and was considered one of the state’s advertising pioneers. Throughout his career, he donated time and resources to his alma mater. In 1941, he established a scholarship fund at the University. He served as a trustee for 25 years and, after his retirement in 1964, was a volunteer fund raiser in the Office of University Development.

In 1980, he created the C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Awards for University employees, and in 1984, he joined the families of his son, Knox Massey Jr. ’59 and daughter, Kay Massey Weatherspoon in creating the Massey-Weatherspoon Fund. Income from this fund supports the Massey Awards as well as Carolina Seminars, which promote interdisciplinary thought, study, discussion and intellectual interchange on a variety of topics.

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