Articles by Peter Cotell

Colleges and Universities

UNC School of the Arts

1946-1990

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is an arts school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Its courses include dance, design and production, drama, filmmaking, and music. The school was established in 1963 when Governor Terry Sanford and writer John Erle worked together to create the first public arts conservatory in the United States.

North Carolina Central University

1916-1945

North Carolina Central University (NCCU) is a historically black university in Durham, North Carolina. The school was founded in 1910 by Dr. James E. Shepard, a philanthropist and one of the wealthiest black Americans of the time.

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University (NC A&T)

1866-1915

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, more commonly known as NC A&T, is the largest historically black college or university (HBCU) in the country, with 13,885 students in the fall of 2023.

University of North Carolina Greensboro 

The University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG) was established on February 18, 1891, as a college for women. The push for higher education for women was led by Dr. Charles Duncan McIver, who is generally credited as the school’s leading founder. The school was the only public institution intended for the higher education of women...

University of North Carolina at Asheville

1916-1945

The University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNC-Asheville) was founded in 1927 as Buncombe County Junior College. The junior college was tuition-free until the Great Depression forced the school to begin charging for admission.

Political History

Josephus Daniels (1862 – 1948)

1866-1915

Josephus Daniels was a prominent journalist and newspaper editor from North Carolina. He purchased the Raleigh News and Observer in 1894 and became a leading “New South” political commentator.  He was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson to serve as Secretary of the Navy during World War I.  He later served as ambassador to Mexico under President Franklin Roosevelt.

Colleges and Universities

Guilford College

1836-1865

Guilford College was founded by the Society of Friends (Quaker church) in 1837 as a boarding school. During the Civil War, the institution became a place of Confederate resistance, largely due to the Quaker tradition of equality and pacifism.

Business and Industry

Raleigh News & Observer

1836-1865

One of the most influential newspapers in North Carolina and the Southeast, the Raleigh News and Observer dates back to the mid-nineteenth century.  The paper’s ascendancy to state and regional importance began in 1894, when Josephus Daniels bought the news souurce. In 1995, the McClatchy Newspapers Corporation purchased the News and Observer Publishing Company.  The paper continues its daily operation in the Triangle area.