Chapel Hill, N.C. — The William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust has donated $1 million to the endowment of the University of North Carolina School of Law for scholarships in honor of former UNC President William C. "Bill" Friday, officials said Tuesday.

Friday, who headed the UNC system from 1956 to 1986, died last Friday at the age of 92. He received

After his retirement, he served as the first executive director of the Kenan Charitable Trust. During his tenure, the philanthropy created the National Family Literacy Center, which seeks to end the cycle of parent and child illiteracy, and boosted support to small liberal arts colleges that were significantly under-endowed.

"Mr. Friday was a giant not only in the field of higher education, but also in the field of philanthropy," Richard Krasno, executive director of the Kenan Charitable Trust, said in a statement. "His compassion and thoughtful approach to grant-making is evident throughout North Carolina and across the U.S."