Dec. 19, 2007
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -
While the Colonels practiced yesterday in the Dean E. Smith center, three direct descendants of Francis T. Nicholls, who the campus in Thibodaux, La. is named in honor of, dropped in to say hello.
All three, Francis Nicholls Young, Sidney Stanley Young, and Caroline Young Irvin, attended practice last night, and head coach J.P. Piper presented the family with tickets to the game, and gifts from university president Dr. Stephen T. Hulbert. The players also introduced themselves to the family as well once practice had ended.
"I was contacted by Judy (wife of Francis Nicholls Young), and she said that they lived in the area and they would be at the game," said Piper. "Once we knew they were coming, I wanted them to get a chance to meet the players, and have the best seats in the house for the game."
Francis Nicholls Young, who goes by Nick and is named after his great great grandfather, will be celebrating his birthday this week, and his wife Judy wanted this to be a birthday gift for him. However, it has turned into a gift for all of the family as they reconnect with the university.
"It is just so great to have the opportunity to connect the past with the present," said Judy Young. "The opportunity is something special, and I'm glad that all of them are getting the chance to meet some people from the university."
Francis Nicholls and Sidney Stanley both remember taking trips to visit their great grandmother, Virginia Nicholls Young, in Thibodaux, La. Virginia Nicholls Young was the daughter of Francis T. Nicholls.
The house that they often visited when they were young was known as the Ridgefield Plantation and still is on Len Ct. in Thibodaux, La. All three have distinct memories about the house.
"I remember playing on the huge oak trees that they had around the house. We would climb on them and have so much fun. I don't think my father was to fond of us playing on them for fear of us getting hurt, but it sure was fun," said Sidney Stanley Young.
"In the back yard at the house, I remember there was an old capped natural gas well that we thought was so cool. Being from Raleigh, we didn't have things like that in our backyards," said Francis Nicholls Young.
The other brother, James Richard Young, lives in Boston, and was unable to make the trip the Chapel Hill, N.C.
Virginia Nicholls Young kept the stories of Francis T. Nicholls alive by telling them to her grandchildren. Virginia told them how Francis had lost is left arm in a civil war battle serving as a Colonel in the 15th Louisiana Infantry. After getting healed from his wound, he went back to the battlefields as a brigadier general to only be shot in the left foot. His left foot was later amputated because of the injury.
"I remember the story of how some people of his time wanted him to be a judge, and he said that he was too one-sided to be a judge, jokingly of course because of having lost some body parts during the civil war," said Caroline Young Irvin.
Besides serving as governor of Louisiana, Francis T. Nicholls also served as the Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court from 1892-1904.
The story that Francis Nicholls Young remembers grandmother telling about his second war wound is one you won't find in the history books. "She (Virginia) told us that Francis was wounded in battle in the leg, and that his wife Caroline went to the battlefield and carried him to safety. He might have died out there that day, and if that was the case then we wouldn't be talking today."
Every family member has their own Carolina team that they root for with Francis Nicholls and Sidney Stanley boasting degrees from NC State while both of Caroline's children attend North Carolina. Needless to say, the house is divided.
"My brother and I will be rooting for you all to beat them, there is no question about that," said Sidney Stanley, who has his undergrad, masters and Ph. D from NC State. "We all root for Nicholls."
Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. CST in the Dean E. Smith Center between the Colonels and No. 1 North Carolina. The game will also air on ESPNU.
#####
