ECU Report
Timeline
25 Years Ago
Higher education bond passes
On Nov. 7, 2000, N.C. voters approved a $3.1 billion bond referendum for the state’s universities and community colleges. ECU’s share was $190.6 million, which helped pay for the construction of the Health Sciences Building, renovations to the Rivers and Belk buildings, and construction of the Science and Technology Building. The SciTech Building replaced Flanagan as the home of the chemistry department as well as housing the College of Engineering and Technology. “Flanagan hasn’t changed a bit since I was there, and that was in the ‘60s,” N.C. Rep. Marian McLawhorn told the health system newsletter before the referendum.
50 Years Ago
Pirates smoke the Tar Heels
On Oct 25, 1975 – the day after legendary coach Clarence Stasavich died – the gridiron Pirates beat the UNC Tar Heels for the first time, 38-17 in Chapel Hill. “We picked ourselves up and played this one for him,” said Williamston’s Mike Weaver, the Pirate quarterback. Coach Pat Dye felt the win coming and sent team managers out the night before to buy cigars to celebrate. “I guess I just had a premonition,” he told The Fountainhead. The Pirates would finish the season 8-3.
75 Years Ago
VP Alben Barkley visits campus
On April 28, 1950, Vice President Alben Barkley, who served under President Harry Truman, spoke in Wright Auditorium to a crowd of approximately 1,000, including state and national dignitaries. Barkley pointed out problems with the federal budget, the spread of Communism and discord between the Republican and Democratic parties, according to the May 5, 1950, Teco Echo. Future East Carolina President Leo Jenkins and future N.C. Gov. Terry Sanford also spoke. In addition, music faculty member Gladys Reichard sang “The Lord’s Prayer.”
100 Years Ago
Work begins on the Wright Building
Costing $325,000, the building, now known as Wright Auditorium, was completed in 1927 and in 1936 was named for Richard Wright, president of East Carolina Teachers Training School from its start until his death in 1934. The building served as the social and religious facility for the campus, hosting everything from morning vespers to graduations. On May 10, 1970, a fire damaged the building. A 1981 renovation, costing $1.2 million, installed a new roof, removed the balcony and added an elevator, among other improvements.
Programs mark milestone anniversaries
Jalen Wilson, right, and Will Horn, far right, are two of the hundreds of students who’ve gone through the recreation and construction management programs over the decades. The Department of Construction Management marked 40 years in 2025 while the recreation therapy concentration in the Department of Recreation Sciences celebrated 50 years. Recreational therapy prepares students to become certified and licensed recreational therapists. The construction management program was the first to be accredited in North Carolina and is one of the largest in the Southeast. (File photos)
