Max Ray Joyner . . . Chairing the ECU Trustees

Biographical sketch of Max Ray Joyner. This and other articles may be found in the University Archives.

The citation for this article is: "Max Ray Joyner . . . Chairing the ECU Trustees," Pieces of Eight, September 1, 1988.

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"I've always had a big interest in the community," says insurance executive Max Ray Joyner, Sr., of Greenville, the newly-elected chairman of the ECU Board of Trustees. And nothing in the community is closer to his heart than the university which is his alma mater.

"East Carolina is one of the most important things in Pitt County," Joyner says.

Before his appointment to the board of trustees, serving as vice chairman for two years and before his election as chairman in July, Joyner had been active in ECU's affairs for years.

He is a past president of the ECU Foundation, a past president of the ECU Alumni Association and a past president of the ECU Educational Foundation (Pirate Club), and was presented the university's Outstanding Alumni Award in 1981.

He is also a member of the BB&T Leadership Committeee and has served on numerous university selection and awards committees and in fund-raising capacities. In short, he has been actively involved in supporting East Carolina for more than 30 years.

A Second Career

Supporting ECU and civic work has long been a favorite activity -- almost a second career -- for Max Ray Joyner. After a tour of duty in Korea as a master sergeant, he returned to Greenville and went to college year-round to get a business education degree in 1956.

While in school, he had time for the Vets Club and Circle K Club. Upon graduation, he became associated with an insurance firm, Jefferson Pilot Life Insurance Company. In 1971, he was appointed regional agency manager for a 25-county area.

He also has served on the boards of the Pitt-Greenville Chamber of Commerce, the Pitt County United Fund and the trustees of Pitt Community College. But ECU is a family affair with the Joyners. His wife, Kitty, has a master's degree in education from ECU and their three children have attended East Carolina.

"The Greatest Honor"

"I was honored to be appointed to the ECU Board of Trustees," Joyner says. "And to be elected to the highest office (chairman) is the greatest honor. I think we have a good board, on that works together.

The new chairman sees a challenge in the university's "providing space for the spiraling enrollment." He says "a major area will be in acquiring money for capital improvements such as additional classroom space, library expansion, recreational facilities for students and renovations."

On ECU's main campus, he says, "we've had oly one new building in 12 years and during that time we probably have had a 20 to 25 percent increase in enrollment."