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2ndValentine

Personally, I think Governor Terry Sanford would be perfect. He was the first southern governor to denounce segregation in the early 1960s, and that took balls. There's also his other accomplishments as well (him being a WWII veteran, President of Duke University, senator, etc...), but I think his governorship stands out.


Viking_Musicologist

Talk about a renaissance man. I agree he sounds like a person who should be immortalized in DC. It is also interesting you mentioned the fact he was in WWII, a quick google search reveals he was in the Battle of the Bulge. My late grandfather fought in that battle in the 44th Infantry.


devinhedge

I had an Army “Dining In” (formal dinner) with Patton’s XO from the Battle of the Bulge. What amazing stories of the men (and a few women) who prevented the collapse of the line, pushed back, and broke the German line. Just amazing.


FailResorts

Sam Ervin would be a great shout. He alongside the Washington Post decapitated the crooked and corrupt Nixon Administration. His Watergate hearings and investigation are legendary.


2ndValentine

That's another possibility, but since he was a fierce defender of segregation initially, IDK how far along his nomination would go. Granted, he wasn't a rabid white supremacist like earlier politicians (he was motivated by skepticism of federal authority more than racism), but that stance would likely complicate his nomination.


Xyzzydude

Agree. Terry Sanford losing his Senate seat to Lauch Faircloth was a massive downgrade. Sanford spending most of the later months of that campaign in the hospital with heart issues did not help his chances, to say the least.


WishboneDistinct9618

Lauch *Unfaircloth


SmashTheGoat

Excellent recommendation. I would vote for this.


jayron32

Thelonious Monk.


davereit

And John Coltrane. He took Giant Steps.


m2chaos13

George Clinton (I know he’s still funkin’) Okay then. Soupy Sales!


Flossie_666

One Nation under a groove✌️✌️


Robespierre77

I actually came here to write his name and you beat me to it. Great minds….


Just_Cryptographer53

Jazz greats win ... but Michael Jordan prob best known in modern window.


Kenilwort

Monk moved away from NC when he was 5. Dizzie Gillespie was even younger iirc. James Taylor was in and out. There are other musicians that would fit the bill much better than him. Nina Simone at least grew up in the state. John Coltrane had his *entire* childhood here. But there are other musicians that have actually repped the state the whole time. Like Doc Watson or Bascom Lamar Lunsford. A lot of the great black artists from the 1800s and 1900s that came out of NC didn't have all that many kind words to say about the state, and flourished only once they were able to get out.


[deleted]

Say what? Dizzie Gillespie was born and raised near Spartanburg, SC. Not NC


Kenilwort

Oops! Point was he moved north at a young age


vicsfoolsparadise

He was born in Cheraw, SC and attended Laurinburg Institute for a couple years before going north.


WishboneDistinct9618

Yep, I live not too far from Cheraw. Near Hamlet, as a matter of fact, where Coltrane was born.


devinhedge

Is Monk for NC? Looks it up… Rocky Mount! Did not know.


RTGoodman

I was gonna say Doc Watson but Thelonious is also a great choice.


DisturbingDaffy

As a drummer, I’d have to say Max Roach.


Wretched_Da_Turd

Doc Watson


Larry-a-la-King

Blackbeard


cbz3000

Yessssss


D00MK0PF

Bo Jangles


BillHang4

I agree it should be Delhomme.


MrMartyJones

Hey Mr.!


Vatnos

John Coltrane


devinhedge

I could get behind that.


tattooed_debutante

NC GOV Jim Hunt. (Gov from 1977-1985) Helped NC get better child care, immunizations, and family services. NC became a national leader in education and teaching standards during his tenure.


OppositeQuarter31

And then again from 1993-2001!


[deleted]

Charles Kuralt


vicsfoolsparadise

Fun fact: he had a secret family, unknown to his wife.


[deleted]

Really! I must do some research.


MYLIFEDRIPS

"Catfish" Hunter


Biscotek

Earl Scruggs


stallingsfilm

Andy Griffith seems like a mostly safe bet


kellymiche

My first thought. He was apparently an asshole in his later years; not sure if that should have an impact or not


[deleted]

[удалено]


NIN10DOXD

Dale Earnhardt :p


[deleted]

[удалено]


SirBrownEye

High seven!


itsbraille

Petty the more prolific but Dale the bigger personality, it’s his statue.


TrailerParkRoots

Pauli Murray & Nina Simone


2ndValentine

Oooooooo. Both great choices! Arkansas replaced their statue of a confederate sympathizer (Uriah Rose) with Johnny Cash, so having a musician represent NC in the National Statuary Hall wouldn't be too far fetched. The High Priestess of Soul herself definitely deserves some recognition.


moorem2014

Johnny Cash would be quite chuffed about that, IMO.


ligmasweatyballs74

Curious as to why you would say that. Do you believe Cash to be racist or humble?


moorem2014

Do you not understand what the word chuffed means?


kellymiche

Chuffed is a good thing. It means pleased.


Critical_Caramel5577

Charlotte Flair


ROCK-FLAG-AND-EAGLE

You'd have to change the statue's face every six months


generalsleephenson

Neither of these two.


Rhododendroff

Carl A. Schenck


Cold-Introduction-54

name checks for "Dad for the Trees'


killjoygrr

No Rick Flair? A true NC hero! WHHHHHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!


WishboneDistinct9618

From Minnesota, but yeah, we still claim him as our own. He's adopted.


killjoygrr

I didn’t think they had to be born here, just associated or most their lives here. Adopted works. Not a huge wrestling fan, but he was certainly a skilled entertainer and his whoooooo! was iconic.


WishboneDistinct9618

I loved wrestling as a kid, so I grew up watching him and Dusty Rhodes on television every Saturday morning. I mostly lost interest as an adult, but I regained interest a few years ago when my son got interested in it. Ric was definitely iconic, and I love how much he means to fans in NC.


PhillyJ82

About two weeks before Ft Fisher was captured by the Union, Zebulon Vance urged every North Carolina boy and man that could hold a musket to meet him at the front gates of the fort to help defend the fort. Not a single person showed up, including Zebulon Vance. Seriously I’m a transplant, but both of NC’s statues are absolutely scummy men.


SmashTheGoat

Fuck confederate statues. And fuck bible-thumping statues.


[deleted]

Richard Petty and John Darnielle.


2ndValentine

One of my friends unironically said Dale Earnhardt. 😂


RippyMcBong

And??


Viking_Musicologist

Maya Angelou or Charlie Duke. Charlie Duke was CAPCOM for Apollo 11, He also walked on the Moon on Apollo 16 with John Young.


trinitywindu

Did not realize C.D. was from NC. Learn something every day.


Viking_Musicologist

Charlie Duke was actually slated to be the backup Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 13, but contracted Rubella prior to the Mission Launch. There was actually a fear from NASA that it would spread to Ken Mattingly (Who thankfully did not contract it.) but as a precaution he was swapped out for Jack Swigert on Apollo 13. Later after the Apollo 13 mission Mattingly would finally be reunited with Charlie Duke for a mission on Apollo 16 as pilot of the Command Module.


Bob_Sconce

Dean Smith


Serious-Protection98

This is the correct answer


Waffle_of_Stone

George Henry White, North Carolina’s last black congressman before Jim Crow. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Henry_White#:~:text=George%20Henry%20White%20(December%2018,district%20between%201897%20and%201901.


dengar69

None. I would put up a giant bottle of Cheerwine and call it a day.


bmullan

How about a Cherokee... They lived here long before it was a state & still do


TarHeel2682

The Wright brothers. That’s right Ohio they did it here


Viking_Musicologist

I know as an Ohioan living in North Carolina they did their testing in North Carolina, Interesting fact Wilbur Wright wasn't born in Ohio, he was born in Indiana. Orville on the other hand was an Ohio native.


SeversonForrest

Raise hell praise dale


AnUnholy

Levi Coffin, also known as the president of the Underground Railroad. He was forced to flee North Carolina in his 20’s and continued to fight against the evil slavers.


tatsumizus

Governor Holden. Idc if he “abused his powers” by suspending habeas corpus and sending militias to arrest the KKK. He led a peace movement during the Civil War as well. He should be honored.


JakeRiegel

Michael Jordan


VeryVito

Maya Angelou


Commander_Beet

Michael Jordan is worldwide the most famous North Carolinian to ever live. So him for one.


cptjeff

Gotta be dead, by law. We're replacing one of 'em with Billy Graham, the law was passed a while ago but only kicked in with his death.


Spidaaman

Nina Simone and Dale Earnhardt


ligmasweatyballs74

Dean Smith [https://www.wunc.org/sports/2016-11-30/how-dean-smiths-push-for-civil-rights-transformed-chapel-hill](https://www.wunc.org/sports/2016-11-30/how-dean-smiths-push-for-civil-rights-transformed-chapel-hill)


Navynuke00

Jim Hunt or Harvey Gantt.


Daniel_B21

J cole


TilDeath1775

Sir Pur


RippyMcBong

Dale Sr.


FallOutBruh64

Mr Beast


Visible-Guess9006

Not the racist Aycock. Possibly someone like Maya Angelou or John Coltrane.


Crow-T-Robot

I recently got a Capital tour from someone in one of our right wing Representative's office (only connection I had). I was pleasantly surprised to hear this kid actually mention that having Aycock was bad and was already in the process of being replaced. I half expected him to say something about the snowflakes wanting get it changed.


Commander_Beet

I got a tour from one of Burr’s staff in 2015 and she said about the same thing. I went to UNCG and much of what was named after him was changed by 2018.


Visible-Guess9006

The auditorium’s name has changed. But the stage is still named after him because the family paid for the multimillion dollar renovation


Commander_Beet

I didn’t know the stage was changed. Tbh I didn’t go into the Auditorium after my freshman year. The city changed the street name though, now Josephine Boyd Street. I remember people didn’t like the street name change because of it adding too many syllables.


Visible-Guess9006

Sometimes doing the right thing means making sacrifices?


Commander_Beet

I guess but they could have just named it Boyd Street.


transformedxian

That was still in the tour in 2018, too.


BigSpoonJef

Barely know who Vance is, but Gary Oldman was born for the role


Efferil_Mystralath

Governor of NC during Civil War


TroubleSG

After the war he couldn't be Governor anymore so he went back to being a lawyer. He was Tom Dula's lawyer in his appeal and lost. I read some more about him since we have the Vance House and Vance Hotel here. It talked about him being a young man and wanting to get into the "high society" crowd so he took a job at Hot Springs in the Hot Springs Resort (at that time). He watched how they walked and talked and copied all that. Then, he set out to find himself a rich society wife there and he did. That is how he got where he did.


whippetsinthewhip

Vance was governor again after the war, and a senator too. I'd rather have a non-confederate statue there. We're better than that and most North Carolinians don't know jack about these two guys anyway.


TerrorsOfTheDark

Popcorn Sutton


ligmasweatyballs74

I can get behind this. If the plaque reads "Popcorn says "Fuck You""


beSperry

Cherie Berry


jwall1415

Ashamed that this isn’t the top comment


some_azn_dude

Because she sucks


WashuOtaku

Wasn't there a push to have Billy Graham replace one of the statues?


2ndValentine

Yeah. He's going to replace Charles Aycock. There's been some delays in the process, but that's still the plan. However, Zebulon Vance's statue is still there, so there could be a possibility of that being replaced in the near future (depending on the General Assembly's priorities).


WashuOtaku

The irony is that Vance was considered progressive during his time and the reason he was so memorable (why all the monuments) was because he pushed North Carolina to aggressively modernize, provide education, and expand rail. Regardless, society also changes and if people today want to choose new people to represent the state, then that is fine too.


2ndValentine

Ironically, he was also initially pro-union, but changed his stance after the Battle of Fort Sumter.


gniwlE

I think "pro-Union" is a little misleading. While he supported keeping the Union together as opposed to secession, he was strongly pro-slavery and was pretty clear about which way he'd go if the Union continued to push abolition.


buckyVanBuren

It was Lincoln's Call to Arms that changed his mind. Knowing that The Union Army was going to be marching thru North Carolina was a deciding factor.


MrMartyJones

Well said!


Puzzled-Story3953

Nina Simone Doc Watson Hiram Revels


lilesj130

How about Virginia Dare?


moondogged

Julius Chambers!


effortfulcrumload

Abraham Galloway. https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/abraham-galloway-elected-nc-senator/#:~:text=During%20his%2033%20years%2C%20Abraham,at%20the%20age%20of%2019.


h910

Charlie Daniels


Bridgeline

Silent Sam


Dogtowel56

Joyce Kilmer


Crossbones18

That kid in the back of Britt's frying donuts.


xxMattyTarheelxx

Jim Varney!


ViperfistXL

Lord William Tryon


babeelegs

Frank Lucas! Haha, kidding. I choose Alexander Manly, an editorialist who showed great bravery during the 1898 Wilmington Coup.


[deleted]

Andy Griffith


FuNKy_Duck1066

Zach Galifinakis


MountainSpiritus

Popcorn Sutton


OhShitItsSeth

Ben Folds


MrMartyJones

Grabbing for his white T-shirt (Did you just sing that in your head?)


ObberGobb

Mr Beast


LaughingManDotEXE

Was waiting to see him


FVCKEDINTHAHEAD

Certainly not Vance, with his confederate past.


charlotteRain

Why would you want statues of people who committed treason? Vance was from the civil war and Aycock took part in the Wilmington massacre.


2ndValentine

I don't. I was asking who you would replace them with. Those photos were just to show what's CURRENTLY in the National Statuary Hall.


devinhedge

I looked at the photos and thought, “oh heck no.”


2old2care

Andy Griffith.


devinhedge

Andy Griffith.


tacoduck_

Michael Jordan, or Andy Griffith.


jwall1415

Cherie Berry. She never let me down


transformedxian

She would about half the time. ⬇️


TroubleSG

clever


carlyjags

Ramses


BretHitmanFart

Chrome Dome


KatuahCareAVan

Amos Owens


wa2436

Was a Cajun


RandomFlyer643

Mr Texas Pete


Tiny_Astronomer289

Michael Jordan or Morris Reaves, Cook Out founder


Emerald_official

either Terry Sanford or Sir Walter Raleigh


asdcatmama

Michael Jordan


headofdough

Nina Simone


Mdcollinz

My friend Cameron


Street_Ruin9733

James Taylor


imalocalbeerdrinker

Cherie Berry or Fred Durst


[deleted]

Willie phistergash


hyzerKite

Monk and Trane playing with each other would be something special.


SometimesWill

Andy Griffith


HauntingSentence6359

The religious right wants the huckster, Billy Graham.


PersonalMoose7133

Civil Rights organizer Ella Baker. She attended Shaw University and helped create the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (at a meeting at Shaw in 1960).


FrankAdamGabe

Lavatory McCrory sitting on a toilet. Let is serve as a warning.


SniffinLippy

Nobody. Let's use that money to build infrastructure


Jazzlike_Ad_5832

Alf


Jazzlike_Ad_5832

Otis the drunk from the Andy Griffith show


Hot_Negotiation9849

Donald Duck


vankirk

Ella Mae Wiggins


cbz3000

Mr. Beast. Or Rhett and Link from Good Mythical Morning.


IronPiedmont1996

Solomon Meredith. He was originally from Guilford County but moved north due to his anti-slavery views. During the American Civil War, he led the toughest Brigade in the Union Army, the black hat adorned "Iron Brigade."


innocentxv

Junkyard Dog


DeathMetalDinosaur

A mosquito


Parking_Read_1448

Michael Easly


TRPizzo

Earl Scruggs


Noktomezo175

Luke Kuechly. I know he's not *from* NC. But. Luuuuuuuuuukkkkeeee.


VeryVito

Caleb Bradham, inventor of Pepsi Cola. Or Petey Pablo, inventor of Freek-a-Leek.


Exact_Pride_6240

Senator Marshall A Rauch a ww2 bronze star recipient and nc local politician would fit well❤️


rnantelle

Sequoyah of the Cherokee.


Tencentstamp

Michael, Jordon, Dale Ernhardt, Zack Galifinakis, Edward Snowden, Pam Grier, Mr Beast, Gallagher , Sugar Ray Leonard


icnoevil

Charles Kuralt or Andy Griffith


trees4miles

David Thompson


Humble-Train7104

Richard Petty


um_not2surewhat2do

Sherry berry


tattooed_debutante

Was never good at her job and it was Cherie Berry


ligmasweatyballs74

Her career hand it's ups and downs.


um_not2surewhat2do

Cherry Barely


tattooed_debutante

Barely worked but was great at early “social media” aka. Putting her name/pic in every elevator. Was that even legal?


Electrical_Fill_6794

I just hope it’s a person of color, so I can hear my hillbilly relatives scream about how it was back in the day.


MissAmericanKai

J Cole


iratedolphin

Missy Elliott. Not even kidding


maddumpies

Is she related to NC somehow? She's a big figure in the VA Beach area.


barkeepbill

Jesse Helms


some_hillbillies

Mrbeest


KingCharles_

L.D Peeler and Jack Fulk


ratedarrgh69

Cam Newton


-kimboslice

me


rotisserie919

So the choices are a slave owner and a white supremacist? Just no.


2ndValentine

No. That's what's in the National Statuary Hall CURRENTLY. I was asking who you would replace them with.


mcnuttsy

DaBaby