N.C. Democrats honor Frye

The N.C. Democratic Party is adding former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Henry Frye to its pantheon of political heroes.

The party is renaming its newest fundraising dinner, the Sanford-Hunt Dinner, the Sanford-Hunt-Frye Dinner, reports Rob Christensen.

The dinner, named after former govenrors Terry Sanford (1961-65) and Jim Hunt (1977-85, 1993-2001), was started several years ago and is held in conjunction with party meetings.

Frye, of Greensboro, was the first African-American state legislator elected in North Carolina in the 20th century and the state's first black chief justice.

The Democrats will hold its first Sanford-Hunt-Frye Dinner on Aug. 29 in at the Hilton Charlotte University Place in connection with a meeting of the state Democratic Executive Committee meeting.

The decision to add Frye’s name comes a year after there was some controversy concerning the party’s traditional Vance-Aycock fundraising dinner in Asheville.

Some Democrats thought it was inappropriate to continue to honor former Gov. Charles Brantley Aycock (1901-1905) because of his role in the white supremacist campaigns at the turn of the last century.