Travis Porter had a power of persuasion that left a mark on the state's higher education system, Durham's business community and its low-income housing market. The lawyer, Durham civic leader and university board member died Tuesday. He was 76.

He led the UNC system's Board of Governors in 1994-95 and the trustee board of his beloved alma mater, UNC-Chapel Hill, in 1983-84. He was also a longtime trustee for N.C. Central University.

Porter was president of the Durham Chamber of Commerce in 1984-85.

"He was just a huge personality," said Robert H. Booth, a past president and CEO of the Durham Chamber of Commerce for 32 years. "He was one of the driving forces during that period."

Porter was instrumental in the success of the New Durham Campaign, a fundraiser that brought in more than $1 million in 90 days. That money helped expand the chamber's staff and put the focus on crime control. Porter had a reputation for pushing ahead with projects, sometimes before others were ready to participate.

"He was a fine attorney, so I guess he got used to beating people up in the courtroom," Booth said. "He'd get right up in your face and tell you how he thought things should be. You knew he had the best interest of the community at heart so it was hard to turn him down. Along the way, he'd generally win your support. He was very convincing."

A captain in the Marine Corps during the Korean War, Porter earned an undergraduate degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1953 and graduated first in his class from UNC Law School in 1960.

Willis Whichard, a former state Supreme Court justice, practiced law with Porter for 14 years. They remained friends for 44 years.

Porter was involved with the N.C. Housing and Finance Agency, which was set up to supply the state's poorest residents with housing.

"He had a social conscience," Whichard said. "He was very committed to higher education in the state. He was very dedicated to his alma mater but later came to see the entire system of higher education as an extension of that."

Whichard said Porter was a determined man. "If he was involved in something, he was a tiger," Whichard said. "He got hold of something and wouldn't let it go. He was absolutely loyal to his friends and his causes. He was an excellent advocate."

"He was an amazing guy," Tom White, the former Durham Chamber CEO, said, "a real renaissance man."

Porter is survived by his wife and three sons.

(Staff writer Jim Wise and news researcher Lamara Williams-Hackett contributed to this report.)