Roses to Preservation North Carolina and the Preservation Society of Chapel Hill for their diligent work to save one of Chapel Hill's most historic homes.

The once-lovely Edward Kidder Graham House on Battle Lane was home to two illustrious university presidents, among other prominent residents and visitors. Edward Kidder Graham, UNC's first full professor of English, was named president in 1914. His promising tenure was cut short when he was struck down by the 1918 influenza pandemic.

His cousin, Frank Porter Graham, the first president of the consolidated university system, lived in the house later. Many of the brightest luminaries in early 20th century Chapel Hill passed time and shared ideas in "Bulrushes," as the house was known.

Much later, on a rather less lofty plane, the house was among the principal filming locations for the 1960s sex romp "Three in the Attic."

In recent decades, though, it has fallen into abject neglect. Wood rotting, paint peeling and beams sagging, it became a sad ghost of what it once was. The structure was condemned and sentenced to demolition this past September if no one would step forward to buy and rehabilitate it.

Preservation North Carolina and the Preservation Society of Chapel Hill took up the house's cause in early 2008. They worked - and worked and worked - to find a buyer and negotiate an agreement that would save the house and give it a chance to be rehabilitated.

The clock kept ticking. The staff at Preservation North Carolina called the Edward Kidder Graham house the EKG House, said President Myrick Howard, "and it nearly gave us a coronary as it went down to the wire."

At the 11th hour, they found a buyer, longtime Chapel Hillian Molly Froehlich. Though the purchase agreement, the house will be restored and rehabilitated, and will then be named a structure having statewide historic significance, which will protect it in perpetuity.

This is wonderful news. Our historic sites, sadly, are ever-dwindling, and without the kind of concerted effort the parties showed in this case, they vanish forever.

We're grateful that Bulrushes will be with us for a long, long time to come.

Roses to the organizers and volunteers who participated in Project Homeless Connect last Thursday.

Volunteers and participating agencies staffed the event from morning until late afternoon, providing a broad range of services to people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness. They offered services including health and dental care, mental health care, social services, counseling for housing and employment and more.

No one is more vulnerable than those among us who have no roof over their heads and no place to call their own. We're proud to be a community that cares for those who are in need, and proud that so many of our individuals and organizations are so willing to offer a kind and compassionate hand.