Category: Tar Heels Up Close
Tar Heels Up Close
Mapmaking Pioneer: Sandy McNally ’63 served as head of iconic business that helped Americans hit the highways
Alumnus Andrew “Sandy” McNally IV served as CEO, president and chair of Rand McNally & Co. for more than two decades. The iconic business was co-founded in 1868 by his Irish immigrant great-great grandfather.
Center Stage: Wann’s Tony-nominated musical revived on Broadway
Singer and composer Jim Wann ’70 saw his career take off when his first name became his last and he took to the stage as the bank robber Jesse James.
Graduate student helps to prevent and manage ACL injuries
Becky Begalle ’14 is a graduate student who studies how to prevent and manage ACL injuries.
Veteran’s path takes him into arts entrepreneurship
Brian “BR” McDonald ’01 jokes that when he was in an Army special operations unit, getting ready to jump out of an airplane from 12,000 feet, he didn’t tell the guy next to him that he was an opera singer.
Statistician’s journey to ‘genius’ took a lot of hard work
If Susan Murphy’s story tells us anything, it’s that “genius” takes a lot of hard work. Murphy (Ph.D. ’89) is a 2013 recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant.”
Foreign correspondent: Covering the world on his own terms
After living in Chapel Hill since birth, serving as editor-in-chief of The Daily Tar Heel, and graduating from Carolina Phi Beta Kappa, Thanassis Cambanis was eager to “cover the world.”
Rod Brooks tackles a global crisis, one meal at a time
UNC alumnus Rod Brooks ’89 is working to end world hunger, one meal at a time.
Catalyst for change
High school biology teacher and UNC-BEST graduate Sallie Senseney is igniting a passion for science in her N.C. hometown.
No. 1 Pollster: Alum’s firm named most prolific, accurate in the U.S.
Public Policy Polling (PPP) is considered one of the top and most accurate polling organizations in the U.S. Tom Jensen (political science and history ’06) is director of PPP and oversees daily operations.
Q&A with Dennis Whittle, co-founder of GlobalGiving
This Q&A interview supplements an alumni profile feature on Dennis Whittle (religious studies ’83), co-founder of GlobalGiving.org.
A World of Good: Social entrepreneur encourages UNC to make a difference
Religious studies alum Dennis Whittle founded GlobalGiving, an online markeplace where donors can fund do-good projects around the world. Now he advises Caroilna students on social entrepreneurship ventures.
A Liberal Arts Rhodes: The road for senior Rachel Myrick leads to Oxford
Senior Rachel Myrick will head to Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship after graduation to pursue a master’s in international relations, with a focus on the causes and consequences of ethnic conflict.
Liberal Arts Leader: Rachel Burton ’96, Women’s Studies
Rachel Burton didn’t just land a great job, she invented one. After earning her women’s studies degree at Carolina, she blazed a circuitous career path to become a nationally recognized, pioneering leader in the alternative fuel industry.