Friends of Roy Hunter

The Roy W. Hunter Scholarship in Paper Science and Technology Endowment was established in 2002 by friends of the late Roy Hunter.

Roy Hunter was born on a farm in Weddington, North Carolina, about 15 miles south of Charlotte. He was one of five children born in the years from 1918 to 1925. He and his siblings grew up during the Great Depression, and each of them served in some capacity during World War II.

Roy served two and a half years in a Navy aircrew. He attended NC State on the G.I. Bill. In 1949, his senior year, Roy married Corinne Boyd, and still made all A’s both semesters! He earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from NC State University in June 1950. Roy accepted a job with International Paper Company in Georgetown, South Carolina. Howard Hinnman, the Mill Manager at Georgetown, became interested in the new Pulp and Paper Foundation at NC State University. He was especially interested in the scholarship program for talented students. Roy worked together with Howard to successfully recruit several students from Georgetown for the program.

Roy Hunter and Howard Hinnman were both transferred to Pine Bluff, Arkansas to start up a new mill in 1958. After a few years, Howard asked Roy to set up a recruiting program in Pine Bluff and specified that the scholarship winners would also have a summer job working at the International Paper mill. Between money from the scholarship and summer job, this paid nearly all school expenses.

All of the students who were recruited by Roy have been successful; two received their doctorate degrees, approximately one-half obtained their master degrees, and nearly 100% received the dual degree with chemical engineering, once it was developed. Roy had many mill and corporate managers express the value of those graduates on the job. A group of the men Roy recruited led by David Ashcraft, honored Roy with an Endowed Scholarship in 2002. It was a wonderful occasion for Roy and his family, and a chance to recognize a caring, dedicated person.

Roy’s family ties to NC State University date back to 1905. His grandfather, James Oliver Loftin, moved his large family from the family farm in Mt. Olive, North Carolina, to Raleigh to enroll his oldest son in NC State. His plan was for all of his sons to go to NC State and his daughters to attend the Teacher’s College in Greensboro. All ten children, including Roy’s mother, received a college education. Roy’s grandfather was dedicated to a good education for everyone. He would be happy for the role that Roy played in assisting deserving young men to receive a college education.