Biography

A Quiet Retirement (Sort of)

In 1951, Kyser, at 44 still considered a giant in the entertainment industry, called it quits. He and Georgia returned to Chapel Hill. "Kay never did anything without mentioning North Carolina," Georgia said recently. "We came back here to live because that’s where he wanted to be."

The Kysers settled in an old house on the edge of campus, once owned by his uncle. They raised three daughters – Amanda, Carroll and Kimberly – there, which today is the oldest house in Chapel Hill.

Kyser gave generously to the university that gave him his musical start. He wrote a song for UNC, "Tar Heels on Hand," in 1937. Once he got back to Chapel Hill, his contributions were more frequent. Through the Kyser Foundation, established in Pullout1941, he gave UNC scholarships for students in music and dramatic art. The awards, full tuition and board for a year, were based on character, scholarship, leadership and "promise of future distinction."

Kyser also supported the music department, PlayMakers Theatre, the pharmacy school and the university’s Center for Public Television. He was awarded the Carolina Playmakers Alumnal Award in 1960, was honored by the Golden Fleece and later won the UNC's Distinguished Alumnus Award. He also palled around with some of the university’s most esteemed administrators, academics and alumni – the people whose names adorn the buildings on today’s campus.

Kyser’s ties to the university were further strengthened when Georgia began taking classes there. She took a course a year, and received a bachelor’s degree in studio art after 19 years of school. Kyser donned his old "Kollege" cap and gown as part of the celebration. The couple’s daughters also graduated from UNC.

As a man who made his fame and fortune in entertainment, naturally Kyser was an advocate for the arts. He donated to the North Carolina Symphony Society endowment fund, and the state had the first state symphony orchestra in the country.

Kyser also supported "The Lost Colony" – America’s first and longest-running outdoor drama. Written by his friend, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paul Green, it chronicles the mysterious disappearance of the New World’s first English settlement. The play is still performed on the Outer Banks, where the 117 settlers first set foot on Roanoke Island. More than 3 million visitors have seen it since its 1937 debut.

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