Why I Support HBCUs — Frank S. Turner

Sarah Jane Brinson ’09

Sarah Jane Brinson, 37, passed away on Friday, March 12 at Vidant Medical Center after a month-long fight against COVID-19 double pneumonia.

Sarah is survived by her parents, Doug and Annette Brinson of Arapahoe, North Carolina; her brother, Jack Brinson of Columbia, Maryland; her sister and brother-in-law, Mary Kate Brinson Parrish and Jacob of Greenville, North Carolina; her nephew, Jackson Parrish; her niece, Emma Kate Parrish; and her dog Sadie.

Sarah graduated from Pamlico County High School in 2002. She then earned in 2006 a B.S. in political science and a B.A. in Hispanic studies. In 2009 Sarah graduated from North Carolina Central University with a J.D. degree.

She owned and operated Brinson Law in Clinton, North Carolina until she returned home in 2020 to be closer to her family. She then taught American Government at Pamlico Community College.

Sarah’s love of her family, many friends, her ECU girls, and of Bethany Christian Church was boundless. Sarah was always positive in her attitudes toward people and life. She was always able to find the good in life’s situations, help others, and to be loyal to her friends. She loved to travel to different countries and share in their cultures. She was known as “the documenter” among her family and friends as she captured in photos life’s important events, both big and small.

Ola M. Lewis ’90

Superior Court Judge Ola M. Lewis, 54, died Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019 at her home in Bolivia after a two-year battle with a rare form of liver cancer.

Judge Ola grew up in Spring Lake, North Carolina, and later her family moved to Brunswick County. She followed in her father’s footsteps, graduating from Fayetteville State University before attending North Carolina Central Law School, where she graduated in 1990 with a J.D. She worked one year in private practice with then became North Carolina Speaker of the House before returning to her Brunswick County home to serve as a county prosecutor.

In 1993, only two years after returning home, Judge Ola was appointed district court judge, the youngest judge serving at that time in North Carolina. She would serve in this role for seven years before being appointed by former North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt in 2000 to serve as a special superior court judge. She traveled 21 counties in this role, telling friends and family her motto was, “Have gavel, will travel.”

The longest serving female judge in the history of North Carolina, Judge Ola remained on the bench until her death. In her 19 years on the superior court bench, she served as special superior court judge, resident superior court judge and senior resident superior court judge. During her time as judge, she fostered the county’s drug treatment court, helping hundreds of residents find sobriety and reduce inmate population and costs. Her drug court program created a national template that has since been used in other effective drug court programs throughout the United States.

In 2017, she began the Brunswick County Opioid Addiction Task Force with Sheriff John Ingram. The task force’s charge was to raise awareness about opioids’ negative impacts on people, families and communities. In this role, Judge Ola encouraged Governor Roy Cooper to declare the opioid addiction crisis a statewide public health emergency. In 2018, for this and her many other accomplishments, Gov. Cooper awarded her the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

In 2010, the Honorable Governor Beverly Perdue awarded her the Old North State Award. In 2017, the Honorable Josh Stein, Attorney General for the State of North Carolina presented Judge Ola the Dogwood Award for her “dedication to keeping people safe, healthy and happy in their communities.”

She is survived by her loving husband of 16 years, Reginald Holley; mother, Doris Lewis; brother, Cliff Lewis, and his wife, Donna; and sisters, Peggy Walker and Pam Lewis. She is also survived by many beloved family members as well as a host of friends.