Lifetime Achievement Award
T.C. Homesley ’58 (Statesville, N.C.)
Troy Clifton (T.C.) Homesley was born in Cherryville, N.C., on December 22, 1934. After earning his law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1958, he joined the Army JAG Corps until 1962, when he was honorably discharged as Captain. T.C. then moved to Mooresville and opened an office for Collier, Harris and Collier. In 1973, he relocated to Statesville, which has been home ever since, and continued to practice in Mooresville and Statesville for over 50 years.
With an emphasis on criminal and civil litigation, T.C.’s practice brought him to district court, superior court, federal court, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the N.C. Court of Appeals, and the N.C. Supreme Court. He is a past District Bar president and County Bar president. T.C. is a long-time member of the North Carolina State Bar, North Carolina Bar Association, and North Carolina Advocates for Justice, and has served as a court-appointed attorney for indigent defense services for over 50 years and has mentored many young lawyers. In October 2023, T.C. was named to the North Carolina Legal Hall of Fame by the North Carolina Bar Association.
T.C. has been an unwavering pillar of his community throughout his life. He is a board member for the Iredell County YMCA, served on the Mooresville Recreation Commission, and was the blood chairman of the American Red Cross Blood Chapter in Mooresville for 25 years. T.C. received the Mooresville chapter of the N.C. Jaycees Distinguished Service Award. He ran the Mooresville Christmas Parade, a vibrant tradition in the Iredell County community, for ten years. Friends and colleagues of T.C. attest not only to his skills as a lawyer, but also to how his exceptional character shines in every aspect of his practice and community service.
T.C. and his wife, Jacquie Homesley, have been married for 51 years. T.C. has two children, Cliff, an attorney in Mooresville, and Blair, an investment advisor with Truist, as well as many grandchildren, all of whom lovingly call him “Big Daddy.”
Richard A. Vinroot ’66 (Charlotte, N.C.)
Richard Vinroot, the son of a Swedish immigrant, was born in Charlotte, N.C., on April 14, 1941. He and his younger brother and sister, Robert and Karen, were raised by their parents in Charlotte. After graduating high school in 1959, he was awarded a Morehead Scholarship to attend UNC Chapel Hill, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1963 and a law degree in 1966. At Carolina, Richard served as class president in his junior and senior years and played varsity basketball under legendary coach Dean Smith. In December 1964, Richard married his college sweetheart, the late Judy Allen. They were happily married for almost 60 years. Richard and Judy raised three grown children and have six grandchildren.
In January 1967, Richard volunteered for the military draft and was deployed to Vietnam, earning the Bronze Star after his tour of duty. In 1969, Richard joined a small law firm in Charlotte, now Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, an almost 200-person firm. Richard engaged in various areas of civil litigation and has been designated by his peers as one of North Carolina’s “Super Lawyers,” “Best Lawyers,” “Legal Elite,” and as one of the “Best Lawyers in America.” Richard was recognized as a Distinguished Eagle Scout by the Boy Scouts of America in 1995, a Distinguished Alumnus by the UNC General Alumni Association in 1995, awarded the William R. Davie Award by the UNC Board of Trustees in 2022, and awarded the Professionalism Award by the N.C. Chief Justice in 2024. He also served as a member of the board of directors of Martin Marietta Materials Company for almost 20 years. After almost 55 years of active practice, he is “of counsel” in the firm’s litigation department.
Through more than five decades in Charlotte, Richard and Judy have engaged in extensive community service. From 1983 to 1991, Richard was a member of Charlotte’s City Council and served as Charlotte’s Mayor from 1991 until 1995. He was named America’s “Municipal Leader of the Year” by American City and County Magazine in 1995. Thereafter, he ran unsuccessfully for governor of North Carolina. Richard served as a scoutmaster in Charlotte’s inner city for seven years and co-founded Sugar Creek Charter School, serving mostly poor, minority inner-city children. He chaired the Session of Myers Park Presbyterian Church and taught Sunday school for 47 years.
Distinguished Alumni Award
S. Elizabeth Gibson ’76 (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
S. Elizabeth Gibson joined the Carolina Law faculty in 1983 and serves as the Burton Craige Professor of Law Emerita. Her teaching and research interests include bankruptcy, civil procedure, and federal jurisdiction. Gibson is the author of numerous monographs and articles on jurisdictional issues in bankruptcy, including removal, jury trials, and sovereign immunity, and the use of bankruptcy to resolve mass torts. Her work has appeared in the UCLA Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and the Minnesota Law Review, among others. She is the reporter for the Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules and is a member of the Board of Editors for Collier on Bankruptcy, the National Bankruptcy Conference, and the American College of Bankruptcy. She is a recipient of the University’s Thomas Jefferson Award and the Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement, as well as a three-time recipient of the Law School’s McCall Award for Teaching Excellence.
Gibson attended Carolina Law where she was a notes and comment editor of the North Carolina Law Review and graduated with high honors. After law school, Gibson clerked for Judge J. Braxton Craven of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit and Justice Byron White of the U.S. Supreme Court. She practiced law at Shea & Gardner (now Goodwin Proctor) in Washington, D.C., where she was made a partner, prior to joining Carolina Law.
Elizabeth’s husband, Bob Mosteller, is also retired from the Carolina Law faculty. She has two adult sons, Ben and Daniel.
Elizabeth L. “Betty” Quick ’74 (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Elizabeth L. “Betty” Quick received her A.B. degree from Duke University, and a J.D. with honors from UNC School of Law in 1974. A partner at Womble Bond Dickinson, she specializes in wills, trusts, estate planning, charitable trusts, and exempt organizations. Previously president of the North Carolina Bar Association, Betty is currently the chair of the senior lawyers division of the North Carolina Bar Association. She has served on the N.C. Board of Law Examiners and has chaired the IOLTA Board of Trustees. She authored and edited the North Carolina Estate Administration Manual, published by the North Carolina Bar Association, which is still one of the Association’s premier resource manuals. Betty is a fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and serves on the boards of several foundations and non-profit organizations.
Betty has lectured frequently on estate planning subjects, including charitable giving and non-profit organizations, and has worked pro bono for many nonprofit organizations. She was appointed by the Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court to serve on the first Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism, and in 2008, she received the Chief Justice’s Professionalism Award. Betty has been named as one of North Carolina’s “Legal Elite” in Business North Carolina.
Betty’s late husband, Bob, is also a UNC law graduate. They have two children, Robert Quick and Sara Loebner, and five beloved grandchildren. She is a member at Mount Tabor Methodist Church in Winston-Salem.
Robert A. “Bob” Wicker ’69 (Greensboro, N.C.)
Bob graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1966, UNC Law School with honors in 1969 where he served on the Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif, and later received an Executive Education Diploma from the UNC Kenan-Flager Business School in 1997, making him a triple Tar Heel. After graduating from law school, Bob served as a Captain, U.S. Army, Judge Advocate General Corps where he served as trial counsel, defense counsel, and military judge. He was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal, Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Achievement in ground operations against hostile forces (1st Oak Leaf Cluster), and Army Commendation Medal (1st Oak Leaf Cluster. Since Bob’s first stop in the JAG Corps, he has led the legal and business communities in many ways.
He has over 20 years of experience as a litigation attorney with North Carolina law firms, served as senior vice president, general counsel, and associate corporate secretary for Burlington Industries, Inc., an international manufacturer of textile products, and later joined General Parts International, Inc., an international distributor of automotive parts and accessories, where he retired as the executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary. Following his retirement, Gov. Roy Cooper appointed Bob as chairman of the North Carolina State Ports Authority Board of Directors in May 2018 for a six-year term. He resigned in January 2024 due to health issues.
In addition to his career accomplishments, Bob has been a leader in organizations he has a passion for as a past chairman of the young lawyers division of the North Carolina Bar Association, a past president of the North Carolina State Bar and the UNC Law Alumni Association, and member of the UNC Board of Visitors. His commitment to the North Carolina community was recognized in 2012 when he was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by Gov. Beverly Perdue and again in 2024 by Gov. Roy Cooper.
Bob and his wife Judy have three children and five grandchildren.
Emerging Leader Award
Kandace Davis Farrar ’12 (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Kandace Farrar, J.D. serves as associate dean of advancement for the UNC School of Social Work and has been a development professional at UNC-Chapel Hill for 10 years. Throughout her development career at Carolina, she has demonstrated leadership, an unparallelled commitment to program development, and passion for fundraising. Previous roles include director and senior director of scholarships and student aid where she raised over $30 million in private support for undergraduate need-based scholarships. Kandace has also served as assistant director of corporate and foundation relations and special assistant to the vice chancellor for development. In her current role, she is noted for raising over $10 million in private support for the School of Social Work within her first 10 months, beating the school’s 10-year annual fundraising average of $2 million by 500%. Kandace’s success is driven by her personal commitment to ensure access to education, opening doors to create positive change and improving communities throughout North Carolina. Her impact will be felt by current and future generations of Carolina students.
A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., Kandace holds a B.S. in sociology from Appalachian State University and a Juris Doctorate from the UNC School of Law where she completed over 300 hours of pro bono work with the UNC Center for Civil Rights and other public interest projects. She currently serves on the board of directors for Healing Justice, a unique national nonprofit organization that utilizes restorative justice and justice reform to provide healing to individuals and families harmed by wrongful convictions and to prevent future harm. She previously served as board president of the Orange County Rape Crisis Center, co-chair of the Young Alumni Law Council, chair of the foundation committee for the Durham Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc., and co-led the Delta Gems Academy for at-risk girls through her beloved sorority, Delta Sigma Theta. Kandace lives in Chapel Hill with her husband Dante, son Davis, and welcomed baby girl Khoury in May 2024.
Professor S. Elizabeth Gibson Award for Faculty Excellence
Professor John V. Orth (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
John V. Orth joined the Carolina Law faculty in 1978 and served as the William Rand Kenan Jr. Professor of Law until his retirement in 2021. He taught first-year Property, Trusts & Estates, and Legal History. Orth is the author of seven books, three of them published by Oxford University Press, and over a hundred articles and book chapters. His writings cover a wide array of topics including both state and federal constitutional law, legal history, wills and trusts, labor law, and basic property law. His works have been cited by federal and state courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court and the N.C. Supreme Court. He has extensive contacts with Australian law professors and has published several articles comparing American and Australian law.
Orth has a law degree from the Harvard Law School and a Ph.D. in history from Harvard University. After completing his studies, he clerked for Judge John Gibbons of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. While teaching, he has maintained contact with the practice of law by consulting on questions concerning property, constitutional law, and wills and trusts.
John and his late wife Noreen have two children, Zachary, a Carolina Law graduate, and Katherine, who works for Carolina Law as a librarian.