NC State Names Holmes Hall After 1st African-American Graduate & ACC Athlete

Today NC State changed the name of University College Commons to Holmes Hall in honor of Irwin Holmes, the first African-American to earn an undergraduate degree.

The official @NCSU dedication of Holmes Hall, named for the first black undergraduate to earn a degree at the school. #WRAL pic.twitter.com/oODhzIS7Zm

— Adam Owens (@AdamOwensTV) November 1, 2018

Holmes proudly walked across the graduation stage on May 29th, 1960, with a degree in electrical engineering in hand.

Not only was Holmes the school’s first African-American graduate, he was also the ACC’s first African-American athlete, playing tennis and running indoor track.

In 1960, Holmes became co-captain of the Tennis team, becoming the 1st African-American captain of a varsity team in ACC history.

Truly a remarkable story.

The legendary Tim Peeler broke it down in story form here.