Create an Extraordinary Life.

Timeline

1945

John Motley Morehead III signs indenture creating the John Motley Morehead Foundation

1947

Cornerstone of Morehead Building laid on UNC campus

1949

Morehead Building and Planetarium completed and given to UNC; Morehead Planetarium becomes first planetarium associated with a university

1951

Morehead Scholarship Program established

1957

First class of four-year undergraduate Morehead Scholars is graduated from UNC

Ed Sutton '57 joins Washington Redskins; becomes first Morehead to play professional football

1960

Ben Mast '58 becomes first Morehead to work at United Nations UNC student body declares November 3 "John Motley Morehead Day"

1962

Norton Tennille '62 becomes first Morehead to receive Rhodes Scholarship

1964

Death of John Lindsay Morehead

1965

Death of John Motley Morehead Jim Exum '57 becomes first Morehead elected to North Carolina House of Representatives

1967

Morehead Alumnus Mebane Moore Pritchett '57 joins staff of Morehead Foundation as associate director

1969

British Morehead Award established Morehead Astronomy Professorship established

Morehead Alumnus Richard Cashwell begins 21-year career as director of Undergraduate Admissions at UNC

Morehead Alumnus Bill Swofford '67 (a.k.a. pop singer "Oliver") reaches top of Billboard charts with recordings of "Good Morning, Starshine" (#3) and "Jean" (#2)

1974

Morehead Summer Enrichment Program established Women become eligible to be nominated for Morehead Award

1976

Tom Darden '76 becomes first Morehead to receive Luce Scholarship

1977

Morehead Alumnus Sherwood Smith '60 (law fellow) becomes president of Carolina Power & Light Company Morehead Alumnus James H. Wright '72 joins staff of Morehead Foundation as assistant director

1979

Morehead Alumna Karen Stevenson '79 becomes first African-American woman to win Rhodes Scholarship

1982

Morehead Alumnus Jim Cooper '75 becomes youngest congressman in U.S. House of Representatives (age 28)

1984

Jimmy Wright '72 leaves Morehead Foundation staff to become executive director of new Jefferson Scholars Program at University of Virginia; Morehead Alumnus Charles E. Lovelace, Jr. '77 joins Foundation staff as assistant director and treasurer Morehead Alumnus David Price '61 elected to U.S. House of Representatives

1985

Canadian Morehead Program established Morehead Alumna Robyn Hadley '85 becomes first African-American woman from North Carolina to win Rhodes Scholarship

1986

Morehead Alumnus Jim Exum '57 becomes chief justice, N.C. Supreme Court

1987

Mebane Pritchett '57 leaves Morehead Foundation staff to become president of new Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation in Atlanta; Chuck Lovelace becomes executive director

1989

Morehead Alumnus Taylor Branch'68 wins Pulitzer Prize for his book Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-1963; Branch later receives MacArthur Fellowship (a.k.a. "Genius Award") for his writing

1990

Morehead Alumni Distinguished Professorship becomes fully endowed at $1 million

1991

100-year anniversary of John Motley Morehead's graduation from UNC

1992

Morehead Alumnus Clarence Gaines '82 (business fellow) joins Chicago Bulls organization as scout and assistant to vice president of basketball operations

1993

Morehead Alumnus Robert Smith '61 receives Merck Director's Scientific Award for scientific contribution leading to development of anti-cholesterol drug Simvastatin (Zocor) Morehead Alumni inaugurate $3 million Morehead Alumni Bicentennial Fund

1995

Fiftieth anniversary of Morehead Foundation Morehead Alumnus Mike Morton '94 drafted by Oakland Raiders

Morehead Alumna Donna Jones Dean '78 (business fellow) becomes director of investments for Rockefeller Foundation

1996

Morehead Alumnus Mike McIntyre '78 elected to U.S. House of Representatives Morehead Alumnus Rich Lenski '82 (graduate fellow) receives MacArthur Fellowship for his work in microbial ecology

Morehead Alumnus Kevin Moran '94 joins White House staff as assistant to director of communications

1997

First Morehead Alumni Forum held in Chapel Hill Film by Morehead Alumnus Gill Holland '87, Hurricane Streets, earns unprecedented three awards at prestigious Sundance Film Festival-best director, best cinematography, and audience prize for best picture

Morehead Alumnus John Swofford '71 becomes commissioner of Atlantic Coast Conference after 17 years as director of athletics at UNC

Morehead Alumnus Josh Pate '92 wins Stockholm Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay along with twin brother, Jonas, for their film Deceiver

1998

Morehead Foundation contributes $500,000 to UNC Undergraduate Honors Program in support of new Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence

1999

Morehead Alumnus John R. Hamilton '66 sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to Peru Morehead Alumnus Anthony Harrington appointed U.S. Ambassador to Brazil

2000

Morehead Alumnus David Gardner '88 adds The Motley Fool Radio Show to inventory of successful investment forums: Web site (motleyfool.com), newspaper columns, and best-selling books Morehead Alumna Ann Livermore '80 named 11th most powerful woman in business by Fortune magazine

Morehead Alumnus David Royle '78, executive producer of longest-running documentary magazine series on television, National Geographic Explorer, receives fourth Emmy Award

Second Morehead Alumni Forum held in Chapel Hill

2001

Fiftieth anniversary of Morehead Scholarship Program Morehead Alumnus Francis Collins '77 (medical fellow), director of National Human Genome Research Institute, selected as Industry Week magazine's Technology Leader of the Year for his work in deciphering human genetic code

Morehead Alumnus Tim Burnett '62 becomes the first Morehead Scholar to join the Morehead Foundation Board of Trustees.

Morehead Alumnus Ken Thompson '73 becomes chairman, CEO, and president of First Union Corporation, now Wachovia Corporation

Morehead Alumnus Tony Waldrop'74 named UNC's vice chancellor for research and graduate studies

2002

Morehead Alumni announce $4 million fundraising effort as part of Carolina First campaign Morehead Alumna Sallie Krawcheck '87 appears on cover of Fortune magazine as "The Last Honest Analyst"; is later named #42 on Fortune's list of the 50 most powerful women in business

Morehead Alumnus Bill Graham '65 becomes dean of Harvard Divinity School

Kelley Vance '02 becomes 14th Morehead to receive Luce Scholarship

Morehead Alumna Michal Osterweil '01 becomes 11th Morehead to receive National Science Foundation fellowship

Morehead Alumna Dana Peirce '01 is member of women's world championship rowing team

2003

Karine Dube '03 becomes 18th Morehead to receive Rhodes Scholarship

David Angeles '04 wins Truman Scholarship

Brent McKnight '74 becomes federal judge

Steve Jones '74 becomes dean of UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School

John R. Hamilton '66 sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala

Third Morehead Alumni Forum held in Chapel Hill

2004

Elizabeth Kistin '04 becomes 19th Morehead to receive Rhodes Scholarship

Ann Collier '04 becomes 15th Morehead to receive Luce Scholarship

Claire Young '05 receives Truman Scholarship

Morehead Alumnus Ken Thompson '73 becomes the second Morehead Scholar to join the Morehead Foundation Board of Trustees.

2005

Jonathan Reckford '84 becomes CEO of Habitat for Humanity International

Rachel Mazyck '02 becomes 20th Morehead to receive Rhodes Scholarship

Kate Harris '05 becomes 21st Morehead to receive Rhodes Scholarship

2006

Fourth Morehead Alumni Forum held in Chapel Hill

Ben Lundin '07 becomes 22nd Morehead to receive Rhodes Scholarship

Adrian Johnston '06 becomes 23rd Morehead to receive Rhodes Scholarship

2007

The John Motley Morehead Foundation becomes the Morehead-Cain Foundation following a $100 million gift from the Gordon and Mary Cain Foundation