In Memoriam: September 2023-February 2024

Gary Wayne Chadwick ’69

January 22, 1947-February 9, 2024

Gary Wayne Chadwick ’69 passed away on Feb. 9, 2024. A graduate of Wilmington College, Gary was student body president and a member of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity. He was a devoted alumnus, serving on the UNCW Foundation Board and member of the Wilmington Society. An avid Seahawk fan, Gary held UNCW Athletics season tickets for 37 years, was a Seahawk Club member and served on the Seahawk Club Board of Directors.

After college, he served in the U.S. Army, stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and then earned his J.D. from UNC-Chapel Hill. Gary served his local Wilmington community as a title insurance lawyer and built his own company, Chadwick Land Title. He was a devoted philanthropist and held the Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern North Carolina especially close to his heart, dedicating 39 years to the organization as chair, board member, fundraiser and volunteer.

Thomas Greeley Cunningham

February 26, 1944-September 12, 2023

Thomas Greeley Cunningham passed away on Sept. 12, 2023. A longtime friend of UNCW, Tom served on the UNCW Board of Visitors and endowed the Mimi Cunningham Speaker Series at UNCW, named after his wife, the university’s first-ever public relations officer who served UNCW for 26 years. He was a member of the E.L. White Society and the Wilmington Society. Tom and Mimi have also generously supported NC State’s Material Science and Engineering Department through several giving societies and the Tom and Mimi Cunningham Park Scholarship Endowment.

A native of Monroe, NC, Tom was a graduate of NC State and served as a combat engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, attaining the rank of captain and earning a Bronze Star for his work. He had a long engineering and management career at General Electric Nuclear Energy and spent more than 20 years as a lead recruiter.

Daniel B. Plyler

November 24, 1936-November 24, 2023

Daniel Belk Plyler, professor emeritus of biology, passed away on Nov. 24, 2023. Daniel, a native of Gastonia, NC, became a professor of biological sciences for Wilmington College in 1966 and remained with the university until his retirement in 2003.

During his tenure at UNCW, Daniel served in various administrative positions, including chair of the Department of Biological Sciences, director of Marine Sciences and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He was known for teaching a favorite course, “Genetics in Human Affairs.” Upon his retirement, he was honored by the university’s Board of Trustees with the naming of Plyler Drive, a street on the UNCW campus. Daniel was active in several professional societies, served as president of the North Carolina Academy of Sciences, and supported many environmental conservancy organizations.