Wake Forest University celebrates Founders Day

Wake Forest University will celebrate its annual Founders Day on Feb. 16 at 4 p.m. in Wait Chapel.

Two long-time members of the Winston-Salem community will be recognized during the event. Senior Vice President and General Counsel Reid Morgan (’75, JD ’79) and Professor Emeritus of English and Provost Emeritus for Wake Forest University Ed Wilson (‘43).

Morgan will be awarded the Medallion of Merit, the University’s highest honor. For more than 40 years, Morgan has provided legal counsel across the spectrum of university activities and initiatives. Morgan announced in December his plans to retire in June 2023. Past Medallion of Merit winners can be found here.

Wilson, who recently celebrated his 100th birthday, taught English at Wake Forest for nearly 50 years. He was the University’s first provost. Wilson served numerous community arts-related organizations throughout his career including the Piedmont Opera Theater, the Winston-Salem Arts Council, the North Carolina Arts Council, and the Reynolda House Museum of American Art. He also served on the Winston-Salem State University Board of Trustees. Wilson  was awarded the North Carolina Award for Public Service (2002) and the John Tyler Caldwell Award for the Humanities (2014) from the North Carolina Humanities Council. 

To honor Wilson and his more than 75-year association with Wake Forest, a commemorative reading will be given of “To Honor the Legacy,” the speech he delivered on Founders Day 1992. 

The event will also include musical performances, a video remembrance of Wake Forest community members who have passed over the past year and the speech by senior history major Kaitlyn Fox.   

The media and public are invited to attend Founders Day. The event will also be livestreamed.

Media contact:  Keri Brown, 336-758-4442 or media@wfu.edu.