When the N.C. House finished its business and adjourned Tuesday, rules chairman Rep. David Lewis said it was doing so "in memory of" UNC basketball coach Dean Smith, who died Saturday.
The honor came after Rep. Ralph Johnson, a Greensboro Democrat, gave an emotional speech about Smith's legacy.
"This is really tough, because he really meant a lot," Johnson said as he choked up. "He meant a lot to civil rights."
Johnson explained how Smith helped integrate Chapel Hill restaurants when he took a black student to dinner. "He could have lost his job for that, and we wouldn't be talking about Dean Smith," Johnson said.
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"How many of us have the courage to do what he did?"
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