Irwin Holmes

Photo: Durham native Irwin Holmes was NC State University's first Black graduate.

NC State to honor first black graduate

Published Wednesday, October 24, 2018
by Tim Peeler, N.C. State

Could he — would he — make it in a newly integrated college?

Could he — would he — do something that had never been done by an African-American student-athlete?

Durham native Irwin Holmes wasn’t sure. But his mother had no doubts.

“I go to this all-white college, and I have no idea how I’m going to compete in this new environment,” Holmes said. “Is it really true that blacks aren’t as smart as whites, and I’m not going to do well? Or is it like my mom told me, that I’m as good as anybody?

“When I got there, I found out my mom was more right than the rest of the world.”

In the fall of 1956, Holmes and three other pioneering students became NC State’s first African-American undergraduates, changing the once all-white face of the institution when they enrolled in what was then called the School of Engineering. In their time on campus, the students broke one barrier after another by participating in the tennis, soccer, and indoor track and field teams, and in the marching band.

After completing a distinguished academic and varsity athletic career at N.C. State, Holmes became the university’s first black graduate when he accepted his degree in electrical engineering during commencement exercises at Reynolds Coliseum on May 29, 1960. Two of Holmes’ black classmates graduated from NCSU several years later, and the third graduated from North Carolina Central.

“Out of the 220 freshmen that entered electrical engineering with me, 65 of us graduated in four years,” said Holmes, who earned induction into engineering honor society Eta Kappa Nu as a senior. “What that proved to me was that it wasn’t color that mattered; it was intellect. That made standing on that stage that day extra special … because it proved my mom was right in thinking who I was and who I could be.”

When Chancellor Randy Woodson first met Holmes in 2010 at the 50th reunion of the 1960 class, he was moved by Holmes’ perseverance and dedication to overcoming obstacles and breaking new ground in both academics and athletics. Not only was Holmes the school’s first black graduate; he was also the ACC’s first black athlete, first black varsity letter winner and first black co-captain of a varsity team. Ever since that meeting, Woodson felt strongly that Holmes’ legacy needed to be honored.

Last month, the N.C. State Board of Trustees approved changing the name of University College Commons to Holmes Hall. The building will be formally rededicated during a celebration with Holmes and his family Nov. 1 at 1 p.m. during Red and White Week.

“Irwin Holmes not only fulfilled his dreams at N.C. State; he boldly broke barriers that would forever change this university and the Atlantic Coast Conference,” Woodson said. “He was, and will always remain, a role model that helped drive needed social and cultural change at N.C. State, in North Carolina and far beyond.”

Last month, Woodson and Vice Chancellor for University Advancement Brian Sischo visited Holmes at his Durham home to share the news, catching Holmes a little off guard.

“I did not anticipate that they would name a building after me,” said Holmes, who is already the namesake of the Irwin Holmes and Black Alumni Society Conference Room on Centennial Campus. “I thought maybe a scholarship or something. What I appreciate is not that this is a special moment for me, but that it is a special moment for the university because a long time ago they did something special, and they have been doing special things as they relate to race throughout all these years.”

While Holmes spent most of his sports career as a tennis player, he and fellow African-American freshman Manuel Crockett of Raleigh’s Ligon High School actually integrated ACC athletics in a freshman indoor track meet against North Carolina in what is now known as Dorton Arena. They both ran in the 600-yard dash, becoming the first African-Americans to participate in an ACC-sponsored event.

“We didn’t perceive it to be that big a deal at the time,” Holmes said. “We were probably worried about passing a math exam or something. We thought someday when we were old men maybe someone would make a big deal about it, but we didn’t make a big deal about it.”

Later that spring, Holmes joined the tennis team, while fellow African-American freshman Walter Holmes (no relation) joined the Wolfpack soccer team and the NC State marching band.

Holmes, a nationally recognized junior tennis player at Hillside High School, joined the N.C. State team in 1957.

Holmes admits that, like most pioneers, he did not have a perfect college experience. He believes, however, that there were many honorable reactions to potentially negative events during his career. He had professors who not only helped him navigate difficult courses but also made sure he and his three other black classmates were treated fairly. One such mentor — electrical engineering professor William D. Stevenson Jr., an early developer of corporate partnerships for Research Triangle Park — recommended Holmes for his first job with RCA in Camden, New Jersey.

But there were those moments.

In his first freshman match, Holmes earned a forfeit victory because his opponent’s coach didn’t want his player to face a black opponent. Throughout his career, Holmes wasn’t allowed to compete in South Carolina, which had an unwritten rule barring interracial athletic competition. All matches the Wolfpack played against South Carolina and Clemson were held in North Carolina.

“Coach (John) Kenfield arranged to have all those matches here at N.C. State because he said if you can’t play us with Irwin on the team, we’re not coming down there,” Holmes said. “…“So, just to add a little salt, any time I played someone from down there, I just destroyed them.”

Holmes earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia. He met his wife, Meredythe, an elementary school teacher with degrees in early childhood education, while he was working for RCA. During their 54-year marriage, they’ve raised three children and now have three grandchildren. Holmes had several jobs as an engineer before returning to Durham in 1979 to work for IBM until his retirement in 1988.

Now 79, Holmes appreciates what the school is doing, less for himself than for the generations that will follow. “Every student who comes into State is going to have some relationship with that building because of what is there, if not once but several times during their college career,” he said. “That’s special.”

Source:http://www.triangletribune.com/.../nc-state-to-honor.../