Sunday’s column: The Roanoker who solved the crisis at UVa
Heywood Fralin, right, with University Board of Visitors Rector Helen Dragas, as the board unanimously reinstated ousted President Teresa Sullivan Tuesday. | AP
Thursday’s landmark Supreme Court ruling on healthcare has pretty much blown out of the water any other news this week. But we shouldn’t let that allow us to forget the astonishing turmoil at the University of Virginia during most of June, or the leading role Heywood Fralin of Roanoke took in resolving the crisis.
Just a little background:
Led by Rector Helen Dragas of Virginia Beach, a small cabal on the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors on June 8 engineered the forced resignation of popular UVa President Teresa Sullivan, who’d had less than two years in the post.
Because the move caught almost everyone off guard, and the full board had not met on the issue, and there was hardly any explanation, it has become known around Virginia as the great Hoo d’etat of 2012.
In Charlottesville, it caused more than two weeks of demonstrations by dismayed students and faculty, and a torrent of harsh criticism aimed at one of America’s most highly regarded public universities.
Most of that ended Tuesday, when the board unanimously reversed course and reinstated Sullivan.
Riding to her rescue was none other than Fralin, 72, one of 17 appointees to the Board of Visitors. He’s a UVa alum (1962), a former board rector and vice rector. (He’s not the only Roanoke native on the board — UVa alum Robert Hardie, who grew up in the Williamson Road corridor, serves as well).
READ THE REST OF THIS COLUMN HERE.
July 1, 2012 - 6:00 AM
Great article Dan. We need more leaders like Mr. Fralin.
#1 Indeed we do, Bill. And more people in general like this:
“Porterfield told me that one of Fralin’s strengths is his ability to deal with both sides of difficult political issues. “Quite frankly it takes great character in order to do that. He’ll do what he thinks is right in the circumstance. He’s not swayed by fads.”
Didn’t read this article but I doubt that you mentioned that Mr. Fralin is a conservative and a republican.
It would be consistent with your syle of journalism to only mention political affiliation when doing a hatchet job on a conservative….
BobH,
If you read it first, and then commented, that would be commenting intelligently.
But you don’t need to read anything to comment, do you?
#3 He’s obviously not a REAL conservative (at least not by the standards of many of today’s insufferable right-wing demagogues), Bob H, as he is willing to work with folks of all political persuasions and, as Dan mentions in the co,un, has contributed to both Repubs and Dems. And because he is willing to do that, Bob H, people who really care about the state and the nation don’t care what party he affiliates with.
BTW, Bob H, I’m betting you DID read the column. You’re so full of it your eyes are brown.