The O. Max Gardner Award originates from Article VII of Governor Gardner’s Will. Governor Gardner died in February of 1947 at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City, the day before he and his wife were scheduled to sail for England where he would assume the position of the United States Ambassador to the Court of St. James. The O. Max Gardner Award remains the oldest, most distinctive statewide honor given to faculty members of the University of North Carolina System by its Board of Governors. O. Max Gardner served as North Carolina’s chief executive from 1929 to 1933 and during his term in office caused the North Carolina General Assembly to enact the law that consolidated all of the state supported colleges and universities into a single and unified system-the Greater University of North Carolina System.

The Will of Governor Gardner, which created and funded the annual Award, stated that the original corpus was given in Trust upon the condition that the said Board of Trustees shall accept and hold the same sum in trust in perpetuity and shall annually award and pay the net income therefrom to that member of the faculty of the Consolidated University of North Carolina, who, during the current scholastic year, has made the greatest contribution to the welfare of the human race. As used in this Article of my will, the term “faculty” shall embrace all persons, including instructors, engaged in teaching in any unit, institution or branch of service of the Consolidated University of North Carolina System.

“I am convinced that if I had rendered any public service worth to be remembered, it was in connection with the enactment of the statute creating the greater University of North Carolina. Enough time has elapsed since the enactment of that legislation to convince me that the Consolidated University of North Carolina , through wise administration and sound leadership has met the approval of our people and has resulted in great benefit to the institutions involved and to the cause of higher learning, and also to the service of humanity through future generations.”

Additions to the corpus of the Gardner Award Trust have been made by two of Governor Gardner’s sons, Oliver Max Gardner, Jr. and Ralph Webb Gardner. Further, contributions to the Trust are regularly made by the O. Max Gardner Foundation, Inc, which is operated by three of the Governor’s Grandsons: O. Max Gardner III, James Webb Gardner, Jr., and John Mull Gardner. James is the son of the Governor’s oldest son, James Webb “Decker” Gardner, and Max III and John are the sons of his youngest child, O. Max Gardner, Jr. Max Junior died in 1961 after an 11 year battle with multiple sclerosis and Decker died in 1946.