Henry and Shirley Frye

For the second time in the history of the American Judicature Society, both husband and wife will receive the Society’s prestigious annual Justice Award. Former North Carolina Chief Justice Henry E. Frye and Shirley Frye have been selected as joint recipients of the 2006 Justice Award, AJS’s highest distinction. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to improving the administration of justice on the national level. Past recipients include the late Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, the late Senator Howell T. Heflin, former U.S. Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti, and the other husband-wife winners, Fred and Ruth Friendly.

The Fryes will be honored for their prolific and profound contributions at the Society’s annual gala to be held on November 30, 2006 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Both Fryes have made a lifelong commitment to improving the lives of other people and making justice accessible to all.

Most recently, Justice and Mrs. Frye played key roles in organizing the National Conference on Preventing the Conviction of Innocent Persons, which led to the creation of the AJS Institute of Forensic Science and Public Policy located in Greensboro. The Institute’s mission is to identify steps to prevent miscarriages of justice, and to educate and improve the public’s trust and confidence in our justice system.

“Shirley and I have had a long relationship with the American Judicature Society. We have been impressed with the commitment of its Board, the thoroughness of its research, and the ability of its officers and staff to engender cooperation of diverse interests in improving the administration of justice at the state and federal level. We welcome the AJS Institute of Forensic Science and Public Policy to North Carolina and to Greensboro, and we thank all of those who helped to bring it here.”

Justice Frye served as Chair of the American Judicature Society’s Board of Directors from 1995 to 1997. His path-breaking career includes more than 30 combined years in the North Carolina General Assembly and on the Supreme Court of North Carolina. He was the first African-American to be elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in the Twentieth Century. Later, he became the first African-American to serve on the Supreme Court of North Carolina, and in 1999, he was appointed by Governor James B. Hunt to serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, also a first for an African-American.

Frye’s legal and professional background spans more than 25 years in the private practice of law, and also extends to the military and banking industry. Frye founded and served for ten years as president of Greensboro National Bank (which has since merged with Mutual Community Savings Bank). He was a munitions officer with the United States Air Force in Japan and Korea, and later served as a Judge Advocate General Area Representative with the Air Force Reserve.

While serving on the North Carolina Supreme Court, Frye wrote a number of noteworthy opinions. These include the celebrated case of Meiselman v. Meiselman, 309 N.C. 279, 307 S.E.2d 551 (1983), which even today is among the most frequently cited judicial opinions nationally regarding governance of closely-held businesses. Other significant opinions include one written in 1986, In re Superior Court Order, 315 N.C. 378, 338 S.E.2d 307 (1986), which defined the circumstances in which law enforcement agencies can compel banks to disclose their customers’ records. That decision and opinion led directly to the enactment of the North Carolina Federal Right to Financial Privacy Act.

While a member of the North Carolina General Assembly, Justice Frye participated in a comprehensive review of North Carolina’s criminal justice system, as a member of a special legislative commission known as the Knox Commission. The Commission’s work resulted in the enactment of the North Carolina Fair Sentencing Act, which established presumptive sentences for defined classes of felonies.

As a legislator, Justice Frye was a leader, reforming North Carolina’s election system to make the elections process understandable and more accessible for citizens formerly prevented from registering to vote. As Chief Justice, Frye established a 40-member news media and courts forum designed to create a more user-friendly court system and to help the courts understand the needs of reporters and for reporters to understand the restraints of the court system. He also was instrumental in helping to develop statewide uniform standards and codes of conduct for law enforcement officials. On the national level, Frye served terms on the Advisory Board of the American Bar Association Journal and the ABA Criminal Justice Standards Commission.

Chief Justice Frye retired from the North Carolina Court in 2001 and joined Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, LLP, where he currently focuses his practice on appellate advocacy, mediation and commercial arbitration. Frye remains an active member of local, state, and national bar associations and continues to have an impact on the interpretation and practice of law. Among other community service roles, he currently chairs the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro.

Shirley T. Frye is a civic activist and community volunteer. As a citizen, advocate, and leader, Mrs. Frye has served her community in a host of ways including service to nonprofits, academic, professional, philanthropy, and civic entities. She is frequently recognized for her dedication, contributions, and soft touch for people.

She began her career as a schoolteacher for developmentally challenged children, and recently retired from her position as Vice President of Community Relations for the CBS affiliate, WFMY News2, where she successfully partnered the voice of television with the voice of the community.
Today, Mrs. Frye serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation, an organization committed to the welfare of Greensboro citizens through economic, cultural and recreational enrichment. She also is a member of the Board of Directors of the GlaxoSmithKline Foundation, which supports educational and health initiatives for today’s society and future generations.

Mrs. Frye has previously served on the national and local boards of the National Conference of Community and Justice, a well-known organization that strives for justice for all people, and she served as the Vice President of the National Board of the YWCA. She was a former Vice President of the Judicial Family Life Institute, a national organization dedicated to informing and offering support to judicial families confronting the unique challenges of public life.

“The Fryes’ efforts to secure a fair system of justice, accessible to all citizens, evidences the capacity each person has to improve our society. The dignity, grace, style and sensitivity they brought to those efforts are unmatched,” said AJS President Allan D. Sobel.

Ed Winslow, Managing Partner of Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, LLP, said, “The American Judicature Society could not have chosen better. Henry Frye is a significant figure in the history of our State and nation. Henry and Shirley Frye’s contributions to our justice system and to the cause of equal access to justice are legion. “