William Friday timeline

July 13, 1920 – Born in Raphine, Va.

1941 – Earns bachelor's degree from State College (now North Carolina State University)

1942 – Marries Ida Howell

1942 – Joins U.S. Navy. Oversees munitions depot in Norfolk, Va., during World War II.

1948 – Earns law degree from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

1948 – Named assistant dean of students at UNC

1951 – Named special assistant to UNC president

1956 – Named president of UNC

1961 – Cancels Dixie Classic basketball tournament amid a point-shaving scandal

1968 – Wins repeal of state Speaker Ban after a lawsuit

1971 – General Assembly unifies North Carolina's higher education system, creating 16-campus UNC system

1971 – Launches "North Carolina People" weekly talk show on UNC-TV

1985 – Named president of the philanthropic William R. Kenan Jr. Fund

1986 – Retires as UNC president

1989 – Named co-chairman of Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics

1995 – Retires from Knight Commission and receives Gerald R. Ford Award for his service to intercollegiate athletics

Oct. 12, 2012 – Dies in Chapel Hill at age 92