by Charly Mann

1969 was the final year of a tumultuous decade in Chapel Hill history. While it was the few that got the fame and notoriety, it was the many that were the fabric, heart and soul of this great class.

Typical student attire and socialization between the sexes at UNC in 1969.

There were more than 12,000 students enrolled at UNC that year, but it was the five stars on that year's top ten basketball team and less than 200 anti-war and social activists, like myself, who got the media attention then and are highlighted in today's history of that year. In reality, the majority of the more than 2,000 seniors that year were primarily politically and socially conservative and were focused on getting an education that would lead to a career. A poll conducted by the Daily Tar Heel showed Richard Nixon and George Wallace had been the top choices of UNC students in the 1968 presidential election. And while most students enjoyed the music of 60s bands like Rolling Stones and the Beatles, only a handful of students emulated their bohemian clothing style or long-haired look. Male students' standard attire was khaki pants and button down Oxford shirts with loafers. Most coeds wore dresses or a skirt and blouse. It was not the hippie look that most associate with the 1960s that predominated Chapel Hill then but the frat look, and there were more than half a dozen clothing stores that catered to this style on Franklin Street.

This is the UNC Kappa Alpha fraternity with girlfriends decked out in Confederate army uniforms. They are honoring Old South Day which celebrates the virtues of the South before the Civil War.

The UNC Black Student Movement (BSM) was a new organization on the UNC campus in 1968 and 1969. There were still few black students on campus then, and most black students felt socially isolated and segregated from much of campus life. This is Preston Dobbins, UNC Class of 1969,  who was one of the founders of this organization.

To relax from the hours of classes and study, the main distraction was beer consumption which was enjoyed, often to great excess, by most members of the student body. The bigger difference at UNC between 1959 and 1969 was sex, with birth control pills becoming popular among UNC coeds, easy access to condoms throughout town, and little stigma or embarrassment among the males buying them (often in large quantities). When I spoke to students who attended UNC before 1965 only a handful ever admitted having a sexual relationship and that was primarily with a prostitute. By 1969 the number of UNC students reporting having sexual relationships while at UNC were 60% for men and 55% for coeds. 

Playboy was the most popular magazine among male UNC students in 1969. It was portrayed as sophisticated and intellectual with its well-written articles. In truth it was bought for the nude pictures of their "girl next door" playmates as this 1969 UNC dorm room photo demonstrates.

UNC Seniors Class of 1969
Top Row: Rose Little Grantham, Temple Grassi, Reginald Ogburn Graves, Nancy Louise Grayson
Row Two: Samuel Toler Greathouse, Jesse Franklin Green, Stephen Neil Greenberg, Carolyn Lois Greene
Row Three: Rebecca Evelyn Greene, Richard Harlee Greene, Mary Maxwell Gregg, Don Nelson Gregson,
Row Four: James Rowland Griffin Jr, Frank John Griffith Jr, Dorcas Corneilia Grigg, Sidney Ray Grimes Jr
Row Five: Steven Howard Grossman, Gregory Kent Grove, Richard Arthur Grubar, Patricia Elaine Guarino

UNC Student on phone in UNC dorm. There were no phones in the rooms, nor cell phones. As many as forty students shared a single hall phone in 1969.

In ancient times like 1969, before the cell phone and Internet, students spent a lot more time socializing. In those days almost everything was real, and little was virtual. While the technology of today is great for finding information or connecting with faceless people, in those days you learned to reach out to other human beings. Politeness was commonplace and people were much more energetic. Doing research for a class paper was much more difficult and students spent much of their time in the library. Today with a couple of "Copy" and "Paste" commands on the computer it is easy for students to plagiarize a composition on almost any subject.

1969 UNC coeds spending free time together before the Internet Age