Shannon Vickery, Executive Producer for Content, (919) 549-7089, svickery@unctv.org

Click here to download a BIOGRAPHICAL CONVERSATIONS WITH JAMES B. HUNT, JR. photo.

UNC-TV Presents…
BIOGRAPHICAL CONVERSATIONS WITH JAMES B. HUNT, JR.
Four-Part Series Captures the Life & Times of North Carolina’s Influential Governor

In four consecutive Wednesday evening episodes, beginning April 2, at 8 PM, UNC-TV presents the many contributions of the legendary North Carolina leader during the new series, Biographical Conversations with James B. Hunt, Jr.

Serving a historic four terms as governor and one term as lieutenant governor, Jim Hunt led North Carolina through 20 years of dramatic economic change while remaining at the forefront of education reform in his state and the nation. Today this Tar Heel statesman continues to be a nationally-recognized leader in education, fostering student investment and teaching initiatives.  The series captures the history and heritage of these unprecedented accomplishments, as well as spotlighting a full range of milestones and memories marking Hunt’s nearly six-decade career in public service.

“It is an honor to be featured among the many distinguished North Carolinians in UNC-TV’s Biographical Conversations series,” says Hunt. “Throughout the experience, I was able to look back on how our work moved North Carolina forward in some powerful and prolific ways that changed the state for the better.”

Series host Shannon Vickery takes part in these one-on-one exchanges with the influential politician throughout all four episodes of Biographical Conversation with James B. Hunt, Jr. From revealing discussions of his early political education under Terry Sanford to candid reminiscences of his U.S. Senate campaign against Jesse Helms, and beyond, the series tells the life story of one of North Carolina's most important and influential leaders in his own words.

“During conversations recorded over three days in the summer of 2007, Governor Hunt talked about his personal and political life, as well as the development of a career devoted to public service,” says Vickery.  “It is an honor to bring these valuable and insightful discussions to our statewide audience.  Through the series, viewers will get an up-close look at North Carolina politics and history through the eyes of this important state leader.” 

The first installment of Biographical Conversation with James B. Hunt, Jr., premiering Wednesday, April 2, at 8 PM, begins with Hunt’s recollections of growing up on his family’s Rock Ridge farm, working for Terry Sanford in the 1960 governor’s campaign, and his two-year adventure on the other side of the world.

Part two, airing Wednesday, April 9, at 8 PM, highlights Hunt’s first two terms as governor, his fight for education and tobacco farmers, and helping the state university system through the challenges of desegregation.

In episode three of the series, Wednesday, April 16, at 8 PM, the former governor shares his memories of running for U.S. Senate, facing a determined incumbent in Jesse Helms, and enduring this highly-publicized and costly campaign.

 In the conclusion of Biographical Conversation with James B. Hunt, Jr., Wednesday April 20, at 8 PM, the storied state leader recounts his final gubernatorial terms, envisioning and enacting the educational initiative Smart Start, raising teacher pay, and his drive to make North Carolina schools first in America.

Biographical Conversations with James B. Hunt, Jr. is part of an ongoing series produced by UNC-TV.  North Carolina's late Senator Terry Sanford, former Senator Jesse Helms, historian John Hope Franklin, former University of North Carolina President and North Carolina People host William Friday, philanthropist Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans, photographer Hugh Morton, civil rights attorney Julius Chambers, and former North Carolina Governor James Holshouser were featured in previous Biographical Conversations with… specials.

Biographical Conversations with… is an ongoing original production of UNC-TV funded by a generous grant from the A.J. Fletcher Foundation. Materials collected for the programs are available to scholars, researchers and the public. UNC-TV is the statewide broadcast network of the University of North Carolina and is made possible through a unique partnership of public investment and private support. Its commitment to producing programs for and about North Carolina make it one of the state's most valuable sources of information.

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