
{"id":503,"date":"2007-06-28T08:13:38","date_gmt":"2007-06-28T16:13:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/2007\/06\/28\/carolina-%e2%80%9cchamp%e2%80%9d-and-%e2%80%9cpriceless-gem%e2%80%9d-hyatt-succumbs-to-cancer-at-73\/"},"modified":"2007-06-28T08:13:38","modified_gmt":"2007-06-28T16:13:38","slug":"carolina-%e2%80%9cchamp%e2%80%9d-and-%e2%80%9cpriceless-gem%e2%80%9d-hyatt-succumbs-to-cancer-at-73","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/2007\/06\/28\/carolina-%e2%80%9cchamp%e2%80%9d-and-%e2%80%9cpriceless-gem%e2%80%9d-hyatt-succumbs-to-cancer-at-73\/","title":{"rendered":"Carolina \u00e2\u20ac\u0153champ\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153priceless gem\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Hyatt succumbs to cancer at 73"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u00c2\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.carrborocitizen.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/06\/hyattjune2000.jpg\" height=\"225\" width=\"291\" \/><br \/>\n<em>Ronald Wesley Hyatt. Photo Courtesy of UNC News Services<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>UNC News Services<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>CHAPEL HILL &#8212; Officially, Ronald Wesley Hyatt was a professor, coach and faculty marshal at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for nearly 40 years, and a winner of the state\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s highest honor, the Order of the Long-Leaf Pine from the governor, in 2004.<\/p>\n<p>Unofficially, Hyatt, who died late Wednesday (June 13) after a long battle with cancer, was one of the most sincerely enthusiastic and warm \u00e2\u20ac\u201c and ever-present \u00e2\u20ac\u201c boosters of positive progress by individuals within the Carolina community and by the university as a whole.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Rarely a ceremony or dedication passed without someone receiving a handshake and pat on the back from Doc Hyatt: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Congratulations! Glad to know ya, champ!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ron always called people \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcchamp.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 But the truth is, he was our champ,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said UNC Chancellor James Moeser. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153He was as devoted a teacher, friend and champion of this university as you will find, and we will miss him.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Hyatt was especially beloved and visible during his 11 years as faculty marshal, in charge of leading the faculty procession for commencement exercises and on University Day.<\/p>\n<p>He caused quite a stir in the audience at the most recent University Day when Moeser, thinking Hyatt too ill to attend the ceremony, paused to acknowledge the absence of the faculty favorite. But when members of the audience who had seen Hyatt in attendance began to stir and point to him, the chancellor recognized him from the podium, and the crowd rose to give Hyatt a standing ovation.<\/p>\n<p>A native of Latta, S.C., Hyatt received his bachelor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s degree in physical education from Furman University in Greenville, S.C. He was an intramural sports director and coach in public schools and colleges in North and South Carolina for 10 years, and he directed health and physical education at the N.C. Advancement School in Winston-Salem for two years. He collected data for the first North Carolina Fitness Test in 1959. In 1966, he joined the faculty at Carolina, where he had earned his master\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in 1959 and later a doctoral degree in 1970.<\/p>\n<p>Hyatt came to UNC as the director of intramural sports and an assistant professor of physical education. He eventually became a full professor in the exercise and sports science department and also served as the director of the public policy program in sport. Hyatt wrote the textbook The Organization and Administration of Intramural Sports. In 2000, he received the university\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Award.<\/p>\n<p>The athletics department honored him last basketball season with a Priceless Gem, an honor bestowed only rarely to individuals within the department who have made longtime contributions.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ron was a great friend, mentor and teacher to me personally, as well as everyone he came into contact with at Carolina. The university and our community will truly miss him,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said UNC Director of Athletics Dick Baddour.<\/p>\n<p>Just six months after his retirement in 2005, Hyatt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s former department established the Ronald W. Hyatt Scholarship in Exercise and Sport to support one student annually.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Students who visit our department often asked, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcHow is Doc Hyatt? Is he OT-OT (on time and on target)?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00c2\u00a0 OT-OT is only one of many life lessons Dr. Hyatt taught his students over the years,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Kevin Guskiewicz, professor and chair of the UNC department of exercise and sport science and director of the Sports Medicine Research Laboratory.<\/p>\n<p>Hyatt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s influence extended well beyond the classroom. The Massey award cited him as an exemplary example of a dedicated public servant He was praised for his optimism and a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153can-do-and-glad-to-do-it\u00e2\u20ac\u009d willingness to take on whatever task was asked of him.<\/p>\n<p>He served 10 years on the Governor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Council on Fitness and Health and seven years on the Governor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Task Force on Cardiac Health and Stroke Prevention, including three years as chair. Once named an Outstanding State Volunteer, he was also a retired colonel in the N.C. National Guard with 41 years of service.<\/p>\n<p>Locally, he was instrumental in the opening of the Pittsboro Street branch of the State Employees Credit Union and was a founding member, executive director and president of the Faculty-Staff Recreation Association, better known as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Farm.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Hyatt worked nine years on the Orange County Recreation Advisory Board and chaired the N.C. Parks and Recreation Legislative Committee that worked to pass a $35-million bond issue for state parks and a state trust fund.<\/p>\n<p>But for all his accomplishments and public service, the lasting image many will carry of Doc Hyatt is in his academic regalia, leading his faculty colleagues on special occasions.<\/p>\n<p>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153As long-time faculty marshal, Ron Hyatt led the academic parade, both literally and figuratively,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Faculty Chair Joe Templeton, Francis Preston Venable Professor of Chemistry at Carolina. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A stalwart Tar Heel, Ron Hyatt was always an ambassador for our university and for our state. Ron could lift, with equal ease, the spirits of a single undergraduate student or the spirits of a gaggle of faculty and administrators.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p>Hyatt is survived by his wife, Gayle Willard Hyatt, two children, Wesley Jr. and LuAnn, and two grandchildren.<\/p>\n<p>A visitation was held June 15 at Walker\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Funeral Home in Chapel Hill. A memorial service was held June 16 at University Presbyterian Church, also in Chapel Hill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00c2\u00a0 Ronald Wesley Hyatt. Photo Courtesy of UNC News Services UNC News Services CHAPEL HILL &#8212; Officially, Ronald Wesley Hyatt was a professor, coach and faculty marshal at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for nearly 40 years, and a winner of the state\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s highest honor, the Order of the Long-Leaf Pine from&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-university"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/503\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}