Order of the Bell Tower will host Hinton James Day on Tuesday (Feb. 12) to commemorate the life and journey of UNC’s first student.
The event, sponsored by the UNC General Alumni Association, will take place from 8:30 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Students will gather on the north side of Hinton James residence hall beginning at 8:30 a.m. to march with a student dressed in period costume as Hinton James. The march will begin at 8:45 a.m. and will end at the George Watts Hill Alumni Center, where a breakfast of doughnuts, muffins, juice and coffee will be served.
Wilson Library will have free cupcakes, lollipops and corn hole at 11 a.m. on the steps. Inside the library, an exhibit will be on display that showcases the history of the University’s early beginnings and Hinton James. The exhibit will be open all week.
Throughout the day, “Hinton James” will be making his way through campus and posing for photographs. Be sure to tweet pictures with Hinton James with the hashtag #HeGotHereFirst.
Hinton James arrived in Chapel Hill on Feb. 12, 1795, after walking 170 miles from Wilmington. At the time of his enrollment, tuition was $15 per session and $30 for the year. During his time at UNC, James founded the Dialectic Society and later joined the House of Commons for New Hanover County.
Read more about Hinton James Day.
Published February 11, 2013.