Robert Edward Seymour, Jr., was born in 1925 and was the only child of Janie Sproles Seymour and Robert Edward Seymour, Sr. of Greenwood, SC. In his career as a clergyman, he served four churches in North Carolina, culminating in a three-decade ministry as the first pastor of The Olin T. Binkley Memorial Baptist Church in Chapel Hill. Seymour was active in the civil rights movement, and in his book, Whites Only, he describes how the racial issue was a defining theme of his professional career. A forthcoming documentary, "You Can't Hold Back the Spring", illuminates his life and ministry. Seymour began his college education at The Citadel in Charleston, SC, where after a year he volunteered...

Joseph Walter Novak, 96, died at home Wednesday. He was born August 24, 1922 in Ronkonkoma, NY. A graduate of Brooklyn Prep, Joseph received his professional training in engineering and science at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute while also employed as an engineering mechanic with Grumman Corporation. A longtime resident of Garden City, New York, in retirement, Joe and his wife lived in suburban Philadelphia for over 20 years and in Durham, NC for the last 6 years. Mr. Novak served in the Navy from 1943 to 1946 before returning to Grumman, advancing through the engineering and project design ranks until retirement in 1984. He was a proud Grumman employee for over 40 years. Joseph Novak...

Dorothy Dillard Burns, age 84, died peacefully on August 9, 2018 at Forest at Duke in Durham. Dottie was born on February 20, 1934 to Stark Spotswood and Alice Walker Dillard. She was one of 3 children and is survived by her adopted brother David Paige Dillard. Dottie spent her childhood years in Greensboro, where in 1926 her father founded Dillard Paper Company. She loved living on her parents' farm and was an avid equestrian. Later, she attended Marjorie Webster Junior College in Washington, D.C. On April 19, 1958 she married the love of her life, William L. Burns, Jr. They were married for 53 years until his death in 2011. Dottie loved her family, her church, her friends, her dogs,...