The recipients include a former men’s basketball player and two real estate executives.
The UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees has awarded three individuals its highest honor, the William Richardson Davie Award, which celebrates individuals who have given extraordinary service to the University or society.
The 2025 recipients are James Koman ’86, Allie Ray McCullen ’68 and the late Eric Montross ’94.
Davie, a Revolutionary War hero who introduced and won passage of a 1789 General Assembly bill to charter the University of North Carolina, is considered the University’s father. The awards were first given in 1984.
James Koman is CEO and founder of ElmTree Funds, a private equity real estate firm, and has 40 years of commercial real estate and development experience. A former Tar Heel football player, Koman and his wife, Jennifer, made a significant gift in 2020 to support a new football initiative focused on student-athletes’ lifelong success and to name its new practice complex. The gift was made to honor Koman’s late father, William J. “Bill” Koman Sr. ’56, who also played football at Carolina and later the NFL. In 2023, Koman furthered his support of Carolina Athletics by creating the North Carolina Hall of Fame to honor former Carolina student-athletes, coaches and contributors who have excelled in their chosen sports and beyond.
Allie Ray McCullen, a lifelong resident of Sampson County, is the owner of The McCullen Group Inc., a real estate sales and appraisal firm. He began his undergraduate studies at NC State before transferring to Carolina. For more than five decades, McCullen has been an ardent champion for education and health care, especially in eastern North Carolina. He served on the boards of trustees for UNC-Chapel Hill, Sampson Community College and Sampson Regional Medical Center as well as on various state and federal boards and commissions.
Eric Montross, a posthumous honoree, is one of Carolina’s greatest men’s basketball players. The 7-foot center helped lead the Tar Heels to the 1993 NCAA championship, and his talent, leadership and commitment to his teammates earned him All-American honors. After playing eight seasons in the NBA, Montross embraced a new chapter as a broadcaster for Tar Heels men’s basketball and also served as a senior major gifts director at the Rams Club. But Montross’ true legacy was his commitment to service. He was a tireless advocate for children’s health, notably with UNC Children’s Hospital, for which the Eric Montross Father’s Day Basketball Camp is an annual fundraiser.
Story originally published by University Communications and Marketing.
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