After NC State announced the renaming of University College Commons, the official dedication ceremony of Holmes Hall took place in honor of the university’s first black graduate, Irwin Holmes.
Holmes graduated in 1960 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. He is the first black graduate in NC State’s history and was also the first black athlete in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Holmes discussed how he felt during the before dedication took place.
“Well, it’s kind of weird,” Holmes said. “But I think it’s always a special honor that happens to very few people.”
He said that he sees this as one step of many, toward creating a positive, diverse community.
“What happens when two people relate to each other, in most cases, race or difference in color disappears,” Holmes said. “When you meet someone and get to know them, you all of a sudden get to know them as a human being, not as a black person or a white person.”
According to Chancellor Randy Woodson, the College of Engineering was looking for a way to honor Holmes for years. Renaming a building on Centennial Campus was unlikely, but he said ultimately, the central location would mean more people learn can Holmes’s story.
“If you consider naming something over [on Centennial Campus], it’s gonna be a limited number of people that actually hear his story and understand the impact he had here,” Woodson said.
Woodson said that ultimately this dedication was about sharing Holmes’s story.
“I think the impact is being able to tell his story,” Woodson said. “For generations to come, as people come to this university, they can be educated about and inspired by what someone like Irwin had to go through.”
At the event, Louis Martin-Vega, dean of engineering at NC State, said Holmes’ accomplishments were a product of his determination, not race.
“[Holmes] has learned, and is very proud of the fact, that it wasn’t color that mattered,” Martin-Vega said during the ceremony. “As you told me one time, ‘I came here because I was just looking for the best engineering program that I could get into.'”
In Holmes’ dedication speech he said that this was not only a way of celebrating his accomplishments, but also a way to remind everyone to continue to improve.
“In doing this today, not only are they honoring me, but I feel that they are honoring themselves in a big, big way,” Holmes said. “And all of you out here today can join me in making sure we continue to do this and improve.”
Woodson addressed that there are still currently buildings named after individuals who, while being instrumental to the university’s creation, were known for their racial insensitivities.
“Without [Josephus] Daniels, and [Clarence Hamilton] Poe, and [Walter Hines] Page going to the legislature and fighting that battle, this university wouldn’t be here,” Woodson said. “But they also had other sides to them.”
Educating students on the university’s history is a priority, according to Woodson, to ensure that there is awareness and conversation surrounding the past of NC State.
“My view of this is that it’s our responsibility as a university to educate,” Woodson said. “One of the ways we can educate is to make sure that the history of this university is clearly understood. We need to be willing and not bashful about telling these stories, particularly the early days.”
Holmes closed by saying he was happy to be here and be a part of something bigger than himself.
“This is just the beginning of another special year for a special place, and I thank you very much for letting me a small part of it,” Holmes said.
