Janice Hardison Faulkner, a long-time faculty member and administrator at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, died on October 8 at a retirement community in Greenville. She was 87 years old.
A native of Jamesville, North Carolina, Faulkner earned a bachelor’s degree at what is now East Carolina University in 1953. After graduation, she taught in the local schools while earning a master’s degree in English.
Faulkner joined the English department faculty at the university in 1957. In addition to teaching English, over a long career she served as director of alumni affairs, chair of the board of the ECU Credit Union, director of the Regional Development Institute, and associate vice chancellor for regional development. As a scholar, she published two English textbooks and numerous articles on folklore, local history, historic preservation, and economic development.
Outside of the academic world, Faulker was active in politics. In 1981, she became the first woman to serve as executive director of the North Carolina Democratic Party. In 1993, she became the first woman to serve on the eleven-member Council of State in her capacity as N. C. secretary of revenue. In 1996, Governor James Hunt appointed her to serve as secretary of state. A year later, Hunt appointed Faulkner to serve as commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles.
In 2014, the university’s Joyner Library opened the Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery, honoring her outstanding career in leadership and service to the campus and community.