RIP to former NC governor Jim Hunt

I don't care what the national ticket was in 1984, that Jim Hunt lost to Jesse Helms is a stain on the honor of North Carolina that will last long after North Carolina has ceased to exist. If you want to know who North Carolinians are and what North Carolina is, look no further than the 1984 Senate election for the despicable truth.
 
I posted this elsewhere, but Hunt really did try to promote public ed in this state and raised teacher salaries several times as governor to where we were above the national average in teacher pay when he left office after his fourth and final term. A recent study shows that we're now ranked 50th in interest in funding education and 49th in per-pupil spending. How times have changed for public ed in NC, and definitely not for the better. RIP to a good governor.
 
I had the honor to chat with him and his wife at a "cocktail party" prior to the 2005 grand opening of the renovated Memorial Hall where the great Tony Bennett performed in concert.

I was so impressed with Gov Hunt. He was humble and seemed to enjoy a conversation with a nobody like me. I joked with him that he should reenter NC politics and he laughed and looked at his wife who was shaking her head. He was probably in his late 60s which would make him a young whippersnapper today.

He was a great Gov and would have been a much better Senator for NC and the country than the vile Jesse Helms
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top