Straley, Joseph W., 1914-

Physics professor and activist Joseph Ward Straley (1914-2005) was born in Paulding, Ohio. Straley joined the faculty of the University of North Carolina in 1945; he retired from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1980. Straley was dedicated to a wide range of social justice issues, including desegregation, civil rights, freedom of speech, academic freedom, and injustice in Central America. He, along with the Reverend Charles Jones, helped start the racially integrated Community Church of Chapel Hill in 1953; served as chair of the Committee of Concerned Citizens, a group of Chapel Hill residents dedicated to civil rights, 1964-1965; was co-chair of the Orange County Energy Conservation Task Force, 1975; and was active in the Carolina Interfaith Task Force on Central America, 1987-2002. Straley was also an elected member of the Chapel Hill Town Council, 1980-1984. Straley and his wife Lucy had a daughter, Lesley, and two sons, Joseph Jr. and David.

From the description of Joseph W. Straley papers, 1936-2002. WorldCat record id: 70790575

Physics professor and activist Joseph Ward Straley was born 6 October 1914 in Paulding, Ohio. Upon earning his Ph.D. in physics from the Ohio State University in 1941, Straley taught briefly at the University of Toledo before joining the faculty of the University of North Carolina in 1945. He retired from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1980.

Straley was dedicated to a wide range of social justice issues, including desegregation, civil rights, freedom of speech, academic freedom, and injustice in Central America. He, along with the Reverend Charles Jones, helped start the racially integrated Community Church of Chapel Hill in 1953; served as chair of the Committee of Concerned Citizens, a group of Chapel Hill residents dedicated to civil rights, 1964-1965; was co-chair of the Orange County Energy Conservation Task Force, 1975; and was active in the Carolina Interfaith Task Force on Central America, 1987-2002. Straley was also an elected member of the Chapel Hill Town Council, 1980-1984.

Straley and his wife Lucy had a daughter, Lesley, and two sons, Joseph Jr. and David. Straley died in September 2005 at the age of 90.

From the guide to the Joseph W. Straley Papers, 1936-2002, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)