The University of North Carolina Asheville (UNCA) has renamed four buildings on its campus to honor female leaders: Julia Ray, Ella Bird, Wilma Dykeman and Francine Delany. UNCA established a Building Renaming Task Force made up of students, faculty, staff and alumni in 2020 to make recommendations to the Board of Trustees. “Names are important symbols that reflect the values and belief systems of a community,” says Agya Boakye-Boaten, interim dean of social sciences and member of the task force. “As a community that strives for inclusivity, how we name ourselves should embody that.”
Julia Ray with family in front of Ray Hall
The former Hoey Hall is now named Ray Hall. Julia Ray is a 2016 UNC Asheville honorary degree recipient and former member of the UNC Asheville Board of Trustees. She was the first African American on the Board of Trustees of Mission Hospital and also served on the Friends of the YMI and helped to establish the Goombay Festival in Asheville.
The former Vance Hall is now known as Dykeman Hall. A noted environmentalist and women’s rights activist, Dykeman graduated in 1938 from Asheville-Biltmore College, the precursor to UNC Asheville. She authored many outstanding books of fiction and nonfiction, including her environmental opus The French Broad, which was published in 1955.
The former Carmichael Hall is now named after Francine Delany, an Asheville educator and leader. The first African American to graduate from Asheville-Biltmore College, Delany earned her degree in 1966 and remained involved with UNCA throughout her lifetime, serving on the Board of Trustees for several years.
(From left) Trey Adcock; Gilliam Jackson; Adam Wachacha; Chief Richard Sneed; Ella Bird, Beloved Woman and Chancellor Nancy J. Cable
The former Ashe Hall is now named for Ella Bird, Beloved Woman of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and 2017 UNCA honorary degree recipient. “She embodies and personifies what it truly means to be a Cherokee elder,” says EBCI Principal Chief Richard Sneed. “She is beloved by her people because she consistently models what it means to be Aniyvwiya—The Principal People. It is not just a name that will be immortalized on this building, but also what Ella Bird represents: love, service, kindness, wisdom and perseverance. We hope all those who pass through this building will be inspired to follow in her footsteps.”
For more information, visit unca.edu.
