Born in 1941, York entered his adult years at a time when racial tensions and inequality were coming to a peak in North Carolina.
“When I was growing up, we talked about separate but equal facilities, but they really weren’t equal, and they don’t need to be separate,” York said.
He credits sports with his progressive attitude, especially after playing for N.C. State University’s basketball team as an undergraduate.
“I think sports played a lot into that role, particularly when I got in college — not only playing against African-Americans, but being friends and going to the movies and that sort of thing,” he said.
York later earned his MBA at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. He remains active on the Kenan-Flagler Board of Visitors.
“My time at UNC was the best two years of my life,” York said. “I loved Chapel Hill.”
From 1979 to 1983, York served as the mayor of Raleigh. He related his enjoyment of his experience in the position to time spent in college.
“Most people, when they think about their college experience, they think, ‘Yes, yeah,’ but they don’t focus on the fact that there’s a lot of stress in college with exams and that sort of thing, and that’s the way I think of mayor,” he said. “I look back at mayor as a very positive experience. I think the city moved forward, and it was great.”