Lenoir Dining Hall

Although the dining hall that has stood in the Pit since 1939 carries his namesake, many are not aware that Gen. William Lenoir put what is arguably the first culinary stamp on the University.

Lenoir, the first chairman of UNC's Board of Trustees, was also the chairman of the food committee, which was responsible for recommending the quality and quantity of food to be offered to future students.

Lenoir's report, among other things, called for a dinner in which students could choose from "bacon and greens, beef and turnips, other fresh meats and vegetables, puddings and tarts, and wheat and corn bread - and a sufficient supply of bread or biscuits," writes Richard Alexander Shrader in his 1978 University dissertation.

Lenoir also said the committee expected the selected steward to supply a clean tablecloth at least every other day.

By the time Lenoir was elected president of the board in its second meeting in Fayetteville on Nov. 25, 1790, he already had made a name for himself as a military hero, politician and businessman.

In his "History of the University of North Carolina," Kemp P. Battle refers to Lenoir as "General William Lenoir, of Wilkes County, President of the Senate, a hero of Kings Mountain."

Kemp also writes, "He, first of a long line of eminent men who held this office, was the last survivor of the original Trustees."

Lenoir was president of the senate from 1790 to 1794 and served as justice of the peace for 20 years. Lenoir also was chairman of Wilkes County.

"A successful businessman, he amassed a large fortune, and was one of the greatest landowners in the history of the state," Rachael Long writes in her revised 1993 edition of "Building Notes."

Lenoir was born the tenth and youngest child of Thomas and Mourning Lenoir in Virginia on May 8, 1751. His family later moved to Edgecombe County, which is where he grew up. He received little formal education.

He married Ann Ballard of Halifax County and in March 1775, he settled at Mulberry Field Meeting House (now the town of Wilkesboro in Wilkes County.) He later built a home, "Fort Defiance," in Happy Valley.

Lenoir was forced to give up his membership on the board in 1804. According to board rules, a member lost his seat if he failed to attend meetings for at least two years. Lenoir had not attended a meeting since 1800.

Although Lenoir knew about the rules, he was upset when the board elected foe James Wellborn to replace him.

"Lenoir lamented the irony that Wellborn, who had often criticized the University and had gained political support by such criticism, replaced Lenoir, who had supported the University from the beginning," Shrader writes.

Friends said Lenoir was complex.

"They knew of his violent temper and lasting hatred for James Wellborn, but also of his willingness to forget clashes with others who disagreed with him," Shrader writes.

Legend says that at 87, Lenoir regularly attended the county court at Wilkesboro, which was 25 miles away, and once rode on horseback across the mountains 50 miles to attend Ashe County court.

When Lenoir died at 87 on May 6, 1839, 50 years after the enactment of the original charter, he was the last member of the original board.

 

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