Agenda - 11-17-20; 8-a - Minutes

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6 1 The Board considered voting to adopt a resolution honoring and remembering the life 2 and service of Reverend Robert E. Seymour to the people of Orange County. 3 4 Chair Rich reviewed the item below, and introduced Janice Tyler, Director of the 5 Department on Aging. 6 Janice Tyler said she had the pleasure of working with Bob Seymour for more than 30 7 years. She said the mark that he and his wife Pearl left on the community will be forever 8 remembered. She said he was more than just a colleague, but a friend. She said he always 9 checked in to see if she needed anything, and was willing to advocate for whatever was needed 10 to help the older adults in our community. 11 Janice Tyler said he was so proud of the Seymour Center. She said he was most proud 12 that the Seymour Center was a place that everyone was welcome. She said prior to COVID, 13 Bob would stop by the Seymour Center for exercise and his weekly massage. She said she will 14 so miss his conversations, and the job moving forward is to continue his legacy: to always be 15 willing to help others, to be bold, generous, and to always have compassion for others. She 16 said he will be greatly missed, and the Seymours have left a legacy to be remembered. 17 18 BACKGROUND: 19 Reverend Robert "Bob" Seymour passed away on Sunday, October 11, 2020. 20 From his dedication to improving the lives of older adults and those less fortunate in the 21 community, to his leadership in advancing social justice and inclusion, to being a champion for 22 racial equity, Reverend Robert "Bob" Seymour was a strong advocate for Orange County and 23 North Carolina. 24 25 Robert Seymour was born in Greenwood, South Carolina. He completed his undergraduate 26 degree at Duke University, a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and a Ph.D. from the 27 University of Edinburgh in Scotland. In 1956, while serving as a minister in Mars Hill, NC, Bob 28 met his wife, Pearl. In 1959 the Seymours moved to Chapel Hill for Bob to serve as the first 29 pastor of the Olin T. Binkley Memorial Baptist Church, which under his guidance became a 30 church committed to social justice and inclusion. With Bob as a champion for social justice, 31 Binkley was one of the first interracial congregations in North Carolina that challenged racial 32 segregation. Bob, along with many parishioners including UNC Basketball Coach Dean Smith 33 and former Chapel Hill Mayor Howard Lee, was a driving force behind the civil rights movement 34 in Orange County. 35 36 Reverend Seymour was compassionate and an advocate for those less fortunate in the 37 community. From that passion, Bob helped organize the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service in 38 1963 and served as its first president. He was also an advocate for affordable housing. In 1984 39 he was instrumental in helping start Orange County Habitat for Humanity. In honor of his 40 service, the first building in the Crescent Magnolia senior community was named the Beloved 41 Community in honor of him and his life's work of pursuing justice and fairness in Orange 42 County. 43 44 After serving as pastor of Binkley Church for 30 years, and as Bob was entering his retirement 45 years, a new interest in aging services arose. In 1990 Reverend Seymour was appointed to the 46 Orange County Advisory Board on Aging, and Bob quickly became an advocate for aging 47 services. Reverend Seymour served on the Orange County Task Force for Senior Needs in 48 Southern Orange County, and became the guiding force in the inception, planning and design of 49 a new senior center. He was instrumental in securing a temporary location for a new Chapel Hill 50 Senior Center on Elliott Road in Chapel Hill. 51