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Local figure

W. David Ethridge

W. David Ethridge was co-editor of The Daily Tar Heel during Chapel Hill's civil rights struggle of 1963 and later worked for former Governor Terry Sanford. Elected to the Chapel Hill Board of Aldermen in 1967, he introduced the open housing ordinance that the town adopted in May 1968. In 1969 Mayor Howard Lee's new board chose him mayor pro tem.

Source: The Daily Tar Heel, May 4, 1967

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Life and Orange County connections

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  1. Chapel Hill aldermen approve an open housing ordinance 3 to 2 on first reading Weeks after the killing of Martin Luther King Jr. and a petition signed by about 2,200 people, the Board of Aldermen voted 3 to 2 for a local ban on discrimination in the sale or rental of housing. The margin fell short of the two-thirds needed to pass on first reading, so the measure went to a second vote. People: Sandy McClamroch, R. D. Smith, W. David Ethridge, Robert VarleyDigitalNC: The Daily Tar Heel, April 28, 1968, page 3
  2. Chapel Hill adopts North Carolina's first local open housing ordinance On second reading the Board of Aldermen passed the open housing ordinance 4 to 0, effective immediately, making it a misdemeanor for an owner to discriminate by religion, race, color or national origin in selling or renting property in town. The penalty was a fine of up to $50 or up to 30 days in jail. People: Sandy McClamroch, W. David EthridgeDigitalNC: The Daily Tar Heel, May 15, 1968, page 1
  3. Howard Lee takes the oath as mayor of Chapel Hill at Town Hall More than 140 people packed the second-floor room of Town Hall for the 7:30 p.m. meeting at which town clerk Roberts swore in Lee after outgoing mayor Sandy McClamroch reviewed his ten years in office. New aldermen Joe Nassif, Mary Prothro, George Coxhead and Ross Scroggs were sworn in, and Lee's first board elected David Ethridge mayor pro tem. People: Howard N. Lee, Sandy McClamroch, R. D. Smith, W. David Ethridge, Ross ScroggsDigitalNC: The Daily Tar Heel, May 14, 1969, page 1 (OCR text)

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  • NC LIVE: prepared search for W. David Ethridge Library card An advanced search of the state’s shared databases already scoped to Orange County’s places and this subject; edit it freely, and sign in through your North Carolina library to read
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