Equality North Carolina Mourns the Loss of Joe Herzenberg
10/29/2007 - Joe Herzenberg, a founder of Equality NC PAC and North Carolina's first openly gay elected official, died yesterday in Chapel Hill at age 66. He was one of our most dedicated supporters and a hero for our community.
Next week marks the twentieth anniversary of his election as the first openly gay elected official in our state. He served on the Chapel Hill Town Council from 1987 to 1993.
Joe's
leadership was not limited to his history-making election. He was also a
founder of Equality NC PAC (then NC Pride PAC) and served on that board
for more than a decade. He had a true passion for politics and a vision for achieving equality and justice.
He was also an active mentor to other openly gay elected officials in North Carolina and around the country, including Orange County Commissioner Mike Nelson and Chapel Hill Town Council Member Mark Kleinschmidt.
Equality NC Foundation had planned to honor Joe at our Equality Conference & Gala this Saturday. Now, we are dedicating the event to his memory. Mike Nelson, Equality NC's Board Chair and a close friend of Joe's, will share a special remembrance of him during the gala.
Joe's friends and family have asked that, in place of flowers, contributions be made to the Interfaith Alliance or Equality NC PAC.
UNCW Family Values Brunch
