- Biographical Note:
- Irwin Holmes, a Durham, North Carolina native, graduated third in his class from Hillside High School in 1956. A year earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Frasier v. the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina that African Americans had a legal right to attend schools within the UNC system. Holmes exercised this right, and in 1956 was one of the first four African American students to enroll at NC State. Holmes, an electrical engineering major, became fully involved in campus activities. He lived in a campus residence hall and became the first African American student to play on a Wolfpack athletic team. Holmes became a member of the NC State tennis team in 1958; two years later, he served as the co-captain. Holmes graduated from NC State in May 1960, making him the first African American to receive an undergraduate degree from the university. Following graduation, Holmes attended Drexel University where he received a master’s degree in electrical engineering
