Roses to William Friday, president emeritus of the UNC system, who was released recently after being hospitalized for more than a week, during which he spent several days in critical condition.

Friday, 91, received a pacemaker and reportedly was feeling better.

He is undergoing rehabilitation during his recovery.

Friday led the UNC system for three decades, from 1956 to 1986.

Few public figures have had a bigger impact on modern North Carolina, and few are more respected and revered.

We wish him and his family all the best during his recovery.

 

Roses to three local high school students whose commitment to making the world a better place has been recognized with Peacemaking Scholarships.

Carrboro High School seniors Vanessa Amoako, Samantha Burch and Scott Weathers were awarded the $500 scholarships from the Peacemaking Scholarship Fund.

The scholarships are awarded based on activism, academic study and career goals related to nonviolent conflict resolution, global community, social justice, ecology and/or population.

All three recipients have made a difference already, by participating in initiatives and organizations including the Blue Ribbon Youth Leadership Institute, National Student Leadership Conference for International Diplomacy and Amnesty International.

And all three have plans under way to attend college and continue on paths toward helping solve problems of poverty, human rights, social justice and environmental protection.

 

Roses to Will McInerney and Pierce Freelon and the Chapel Hill High School students who participated in the Painted Voices “Home Project” last week.

McInerney, co-director of the Sacrificial Poets, and Freelon, a prominent local musician and educator, served a 10- week residency at CHHS, working with the 16 students who make up the Painted Voices arts group.

For the Home Project, they didn’t just make artworks and write poetry.

They went out into the community and interviewed residents, particularly residents who are members of under-represented populations.

Then they built their artworks and spoken word performances around the stories they heard during those interviews, exploring diverse perspectives of what home means to people.

As McInerney explained, the point wasn’t simply to create art. The point was to build connections, to communicate and foster a sense of community.

And those are always worthwhile endeavors.

 

Roses to Matt Clements and the staff of Carolina Brewery for providing a remarkable brunch for more than 80 family members who returned to the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill June 2 to remember their children who passed away in 2011.

The Ronald McDonald House’s Butterfly Remembrance gathering is held on the first Saturday in June to honor the children lost during the previous year.

Following the ceremony, Clements and his crew treated the families to a wonderful buffet, exemplifying the generosity and caring that is Chapel Hill and giving the families an important opportunity to break bread and share time together.