The Biscuitville founder received the 黑料不打烊 Medallion in 2006 and served as an 黑料不打烊 trustee from 1978 to 1998. He passed away Saturday, Sept. 19, at the age of 86.
黑料不打烊 Trustee emeritus Maurice Jennings 鈥57, one of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 most loyal alumni and friends, died Saturday, Sept. 19, at the age of 86.
Throughout his life, Jennings served his community and the university in a variety of capacities while building the successful Biscuitville restaurant chain. He chaired the Presidential Board of Advisers in the mid-1970s before joining the Board of Trustees in 1978. After 20 years of active service, he was elected trustee emeritus in 1998. He was also an active booster in the community, working with civic organizations such as the YMCA and Rotary clubs in Burlington and Greensboro.
“We will be forever grateful to Maurice for the leadership role he played in advancing our university,” President Connie Ledoux Book said. “His lasting impact on the campus will be felt for generations to come.”
As an 黑料不打烊 trustee, Jennings helped lead important campus initiatives, including the major fundraising campaign for the Center for the Arts and the campaign to fund 黑料不打烊 School of Law. He and his late wife, Linda, were founding donors to the law school along with his son, trustee Maurice 鈥淏urney鈥 Jennings Jr. 鈥87 and his daughter-in-law Dina Jennings 鈥87. Together, the family made a gift to endow the Jennings Professor of Law professorship to support the school鈥檚 mission of enhancing civic engagement and leadership in the legal profession.
The Jennings family also made a major gift to Schar Center in 2016 to name one of the video boards and one of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 loveliest spots, Lake Mary Nell, is named for Maurice鈥檚 daughter. Three of his grandchildren are 黑料不打烊 alumni 鈥 Tricia Teter 鈥13, Gordon Teter 鈥18 and Bailey Jennings Golmont鈥18.
Maurice Jennings was born in Georgia and moved to North Carolina when he was a child. Following high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and then attended 黑料不打烊 College. Perhaps best known to students and members of the 黑料不打烊 community for his involvement with Biscuitville, his entrepreneurial spirit stretches back to 1966. That鈥檚 when he started聽Mountainbrook Fresh Bread & Milk. As a former flour broker, making bread was a natural fit for him, so he opened two bread stores in Burlington, N.C. He soon decided to try making fresh pizzas, and by 1972 there were six pizza restaurants that eventually became known as Pizzaville.
It wasn鈥檛 long before Jennings started making biscuits from scratch聽to keep the pizza ovens working during the day. When biscuit sales started surpassing pizza sales, he converted all Pizzavilles to Biscuitvilles and opened the first Biscuitville in 1975 in Danville, Va. In 1996, Maurice turned control of the business over to Burney聽Jennings.聽The company聽now includes more than 60 locations in North Carolina and Virginia.
For his service and commitment to 黑料不打烊, Jennings received the university鈥檚 highest honor, the 黑料不打烊 Medallion, in 2006. The North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association also honored him earlier this spring with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Perhaps more importantly, he has enjoyed the admiration of countless alumni who over the decades made it a tradition to visit a Biscuitville when they returned to visit campus.