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Roland Giduz - The Oracle Of Chapel Hill
by Stanley Peele
Roland Giduz was a writer, scholar, reporter, Chapel Hill historian, photographer, cable TV host, and civil leader – among many other accomplishments. He was a beloved and well-known citizen of Chapel Hill who passed away in January of 2009.
Roland Giduz (July 24th, 1925 - January 23rd, 2009)
Roland Giduz called himself a "notorious hometown ne'er-do-well." He was notorious, for sure, and definitely hometown. But he has never been and will never be a "ne'er-do well"!
He was born in 1925 and was a veteran of WWII. He earned an AB degree in journalism at UNC and an MS in journalism at Columbia. For more than 50 years, he was a writer, photographer and editor. He was editor of the Chapel Hill News Leader (1954-59) and then alumni editor for the University; and wrote the "Newsman's Notepad" column over a period of 35 years. He also was a columnist for the Chapel Hill Herald.
He was the original publisher and editor of a weekly visitors guide magazine, The Triangle Pointer.
He published "Who's Gonna Cover Em Up?" in 1985, and "Conversations On The Wall," in 2000. In the latter book he documents his conversations with his friend and idol, Cameron Henderson. He also collaborated with Jim Shumaker to publish "Shu" in 1995.
He was a member of the Board of Aldermen of Chapel Hill for 12 years. He was quite active in local civic life, and was a gifted public speaker. He was the host/producer for "The People's Channel" on cable TV.
This is only a short list of some of his accomplishments: it is not possible to list them all in this article. Yet, he was self-deprecating. He explained himself this way: "I haven't got any more sense than any other d___ fool!"
Here are some quotes from Roland:
"I have suddenly realized, "By God, I'm 80 years old." . . . .But, I don't feel old – I feel FREE. . . . . I am free to plan each day, I have no obligation to an employer or to society. I have willingly passed on the torch of service to society to the younger generation. Best of all, I don't look back. I look ahead. I find true satisfaction in public service – a thing I used to accept as an obligation. Through all of this I find peace – contented peace. I know there are a limited number of years ahead for me. If it all ended tomorrow I'd have no regrets."
Roland was a member of what has been called, "The Greatest Generation." His service in World War II left an indelible impression on him. Here are his words:
"Let me take you back to the fierce days of WWII and how we felt about it. We were preparing to enter the military. We certainly did not feel "great." But – we did not feel any doubt. We were a bit fearful, and not anxious to lead a charge. But we had absolutely no doubt about the cause and outcome of the war that was thrust upon us.
"There was nothing heroic nor great, to us, about serving. It was simply our time. That generated a quality of patriotism that has never left us through these 60 years since.
"It was a fearsome time for most of us. Appreciation of freedom is born of patriotism – of a belief in the dignity and integrity of every human being.
"Earlier [last] year I revisited a combat scene of our 100th Infantry Division in France. On that 60th anniversary of the liberation of the town of Bitche, we were welcomed by those citizens. Their heartfelt gratitude to us, three score years later, gave us the ultimate appreciation of patriotism.
"I hope you also feel patriotic about our country."
Roland Giduz stood for the enduring spirit of Chapel Hill. His words beautifully express a feeling about our country that is hard for young people to understand. The quality of our movies and TV sinks lower every year. The condition of corporate America is gloomy at best. Our neighbors regard our government as corrupt and greedy. Yet Roland Giduz stood tall in the midst of all of it. He reminded us of the highest and best that is within us. When he wrote about his "belief in the dignity and integrity of every human being," these were not just words on a piece of paper. He believed it – and his life was guided by this principle.
Chapel Hill Memories would like a life-sized bronze statue of Mr Giduz in this pose we call "The Oracle of Chapel Hill" created and placed on the stone wall on the south side of Franklin Street
Comments:
Connie Branch
2:56 PM Mon 1/4/2010
I voted for Roland Giduz for mayor in 1969 against Howard Lee. I still think he would have been a better mayor. I think he was just as progressive as Lee, but he knew the community far better. (As I recall Lee had only recently come to Chapel Hill from Georgia.)
Michael Barclay
6:00 PM Sun 1/3/2010
Your article says that historic pictures will be on display at the Chapel Hill High School class reunion. I am not a CHHS alumnus, but would love to see those pictures. Can you display the highlights of these photos in Chapel Hill Memories?
Ellen Sanford
4:46 PM Sun 1/3/2010
I primarily know Mr. Giduz from his television program on Chapel Hill. He was such a delightful man who truly personified the best of Chapel Hill. No one is more deserving of a memorial than him.
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Investment strategies and advice about Apple Inc. and related technology companies by Charly Mann. www.appleinvesting.com
Investment strategies and advice about Apple Inc. and related technology companies by Charly Mann. www.appleinvesting.com
Chapel Hill is located on a hill whose only distinguishing feature in the 18th century was a small chapel on top called New Hope Chapel. This church was built in 1752 and is currently the location of The Carolina Inn. The town was founded in 1819, and chartered in 1851.
What is it that binds us to this place as to no other? It is not the well or the bell or the stone walls. or the crisp October nights. No, our love for this place is based upon the fact that it is as it was meant to be, The University of the People.
-- Charles Kuralt
Dark Side of the Hill -- Pink Floyd, the creators of the most popular album in history, Dark Side of the Moon, took the second half of their name from Floyd Council, a Chapel Hill native, and great blues singer and guitarist. He once belonged to a group called "The Chapel Hillbillies".
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Oklahoma Birds and Butterflies
http://oklahomabirdsandbutterflies.com
Oklahoma Birds and Butterflies
http://oklahomabirdsandbutterflies.com
There would probably be no Chapel Hill if the University of North Carolina Board of Trustees in 1793 had not chosen land across from New Hope Chapel for the location of the university. By 1800 there were about 100 people living in thirty houses surrounding the campus.
The University North Carolina's first student was Hinton James, who enrolled in February, 1795. There is now a dormitory on the campus named in his honor.
The University of North Carolina was closed from 1870 to 1875 because of lack of state funding.
William Ackland left his art collection and $1.25 million to Duke University in 1940 on the condition that he would be buried in the art museum that the University was to build with his bequest. Duke rejected this condition even though members of the Duke Family are buried in Duke Chapel. What followed was a long and acrimonious legal battle between Ackland relatives who now wanted the inheritance, Rollins College, and the University of North Carolina, each attempting to receive the funds. The case went all the way to the United States Supreme Court, and in 1949 UNC was awarded the money for the museum. Ackland is buried near the museum's entrance. When the museum first opened, in the early sixties, there were rumors that his remains were leaking out of the mausoleum.
The official name of the Arboretum on the University of North Carolina campus is the Coker Arboretum. It is named after Dr. William Cocker, the University's first botany professor. It occupies a little more than five acres. It was founded in 1903.
Chapel Hill's main street has always been called Franklin Street. It was named after Benjamin Franklin in the early 1790s.
Chapel Hill High School and Chapel Hill Junior High were on Franklin Street in the same location as University Square until the mid 1960s.
The Colonial Drug Store at 450 West Franklin Street was owned and operated by John Carswell. It was famous for a fresh-squeezed carbonated orange beverage called a "Big O". In the early 1970s, I managed the Record and Tape Center next door, and must have had over 100 of those drinks. The Colonial Drug Store closed in 1996.
Sutton's Drugstore, which opened in 1923, has one of the last soda fountains in the South. It is one of the few businesses remaining on Franklin Street that was in operation when I was growing up in the 1950s.
Future President Gerald Ford lived in Chapel Hill twice. First when he was 24, in 1938, he took a law couse in summer school at UNC. He lived in the Carr Building, which was a law school dormitory. At the same time, Richard Nixon, the man he served under as Vice President, was attending law school at Duke. In 1942, Ford returned to Chapel Hill to attend the U.S. Navy's Pre-Flight School training program. He lived in a rental house on Hidden Hills Drive.
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What is the history of the Triangle Pointer? It was such a great guide to everything in Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh.