Charlotte Regional Oral History

This collection represents a wide-ranging mix of interviews that were conducted between the 1970s and the present to document many aspects of life and culture in the Charlotte region. Interviewees include prominent individuals from the Charlotte area such as journalists, business leaders, and activists, as well as many ordinary citizens representing different sectors of Charlotte society during the twentieth century.

Sarah Alexander oral history interview, 2000 February 3
Begins with buzzing sound in recording., Sarah Land Alexander Sr. was an 86-year-old woman at the time of the interview, which took place in her home in Charlotte, North Carolina. She was born in Kentucky in 1913 and was employed as a teacher at Russell Caves School and Lafayette School in Kentucky. Sarah Land Alexander Jr. was a 55-year-old woman at the time of interview. She was born in 1944. She was educated at St. Andrews Prebyterian College and Appalachian State and was employed as a professor at University of South Carolina and at a technical school at Rock Hill, South Carolina., Sarah Land Alexander Sr. and her daughter, Sarah Land Alexander Jr., talk about their lives and the history of the Alexander family farm in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mrs. Alexander Sr. describes how she met her husband, William Tasse 'Bill' Alexander, at a banquet for the Southeastern regional conference for teachers, married in 1943, and moved to Charlotte. Mrs. Alexander Sr. recounts where she was on D-Day and Mr. Alexander's time in World War II. She then discusses the farm that her husband grew up on, which had dairy cows and cotton, which tenant farms both black and white helped grow. Ms. Alexander Jr. explains the history of the family farm and how it changed over the years, particularly the barn. She also goes into detail about the different barns on the farm and how they were constructed. Ms. Alexander Jr. also discusses her mother's family history and her childhood.
William T. Alexander oral history interview 1, 1992 Spring
In this first of three interviews, William T. Alexander describes growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina in the Mallard Creek Church region during the early twentieth century and how the area changed over time. Mr. Alexander's ancestors were some of the earliest settlers of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and his grandfather owned a successful cotton plantation in the Mallard Creek area of northern Mecklenburg County. He recounts when his family got electricity and their first telephone. He also explains how his family traveled to church, school and work with horse and buggy, then later in cars. Mr. Alexander talks about his family history and farms in North Carolina and shares his perspective about the development of Charlotte. He talks about enslavement on the family plantations and how formerly enslaved people came back to work for his family some time after the Civil War. Other topics include how Duke Energy Company impacted the area and his perception of World War I and World War II.
William T. Alexander oral history interview 2, 1992 April 25
Interviewee can be difficult to understand., William Tasse Alexander was an 88-year-old man at the time of interview, which took place at his family home, the W. T. Alexander House in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina in 1902. He was educated at Alexander Graham High School and UNC Chapel Hill, and served with the 893rd Tank Destroyer Battalion in World War II. He was employed with several family business interests, including William T. Alexander & Co., Auburn Coal Stoker Distributors, and Alexander Tank and Equipment Company., In this second of three interviews, William T. Alexander describes his education and schooling in Mecklenburg County, Charlotte, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina during the early twentieth century. Mr. Alexander describes attending different schools in the 1910s-1920s, including a one-room school called Mallard Creek School from first grade to the seventh grade, Derita Elementary School, Newell High School, and Alexander Graham High School in Charlotte. He explains the activities that he participated in, including spelling bees and attending general lessons in math, English and geography. Mr. Alexander also recalls his teachers, getting whipped for fighting in school, and how he travelled to school each day. He began driving the school bus in 1920 and picked up students on unpaved roads. Mr. Alexander talks about attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in history and government, and recounts failing English for making a comma mistake on a paper. Other topics include train transportation, college campus and dormitories, and leisure activities.
William T. Alexander oral history interview 3, 1992 Spring
Interviewee can be difficult to understand., William Tasse Alexander was an 88-year-old man at the time of interview, which took place at his family home, the W. T. Alexander House in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina in 1902. He was educated at Alexander Graham High School and UNC Chapel Hill, and served with the 893rd Tank Destroyer Battalion in World War II. He was employed with several family business interests, including William T. Alexander & Co., Auburn Coal Stoker Distributors, and Alexander Tank and Equipment Company., In this last of three interviews, Charlotte native William T. Alexander describes his early career in the 1920s-1930s working in several places across the United States as well as his time in the U.S. Army during World War II. Mr. Alexander talks about how he did not want to be a farmer, so he sought out other employment outside of his family\u2019s farm. He recalls working for Retail Credit Insurance Service, which sent him to Raleigh and Asheville, North Carolina for work, and encountering people with guns in rural parts of the mountains around Asheville while investigating insurance claims. He talks about working for Auburn Stoker Company starting in 1935, which sold coal fireplace stokers, then starting the William T. Alexander Company with family members several years later. He started another business venture, Alexander Tank and Equipment Company, which manufactured fuel oil tanks as demand declined for stokers in the late 1940s. Mr. Alexander then recounts joining the U.S. Army in 1942 during World War II at the age of 38 and completing training in South Carolina and Mississippi. Mr. Alexander concludes the interview by mentioning that he was nearly sent overseas but his deployment was cancelled.
John Archibald oral history interview, 2004 April 1
John E. Archibald was a 78-year-old man at the time of interview, which took place in his home in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was born in the Leakesville-Spray area of Rockingham County, North Carolina in 1925. He served as a rear gunner in the U.S. Air Force in World War II. He was employed with the H.G. Lay Company, Western Auto Supply Company in franchise sales, and with Sears-Roebuck., John Archibald recounts growing up in the Leakesville-Spray area of Rockingham Country, North Carolina, his time as a soldier during World War II, and his life and career after the war. As Mr. Archibald grew older, he became aware that his education, geared toward working in textile mills, was inadequate and different from the education of upper-class students. He describes graduating in 1942 and working in the shipyards before being drafted into the U.S. Army Air Force as a rear gunner. Mr. Archibald recounts being based in London, England, and Naples, Italy, and participating in bombing missions in B17 and B24 planes, what the men did there for fun, and what it was like to be a target. He shares how he feels about the bombing of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the death of civilians. After World War II, Mr. Archibald describes moving to Greenville, North Carolina, and working for H.G. Lay, where he became aware of the extreme poverty of many of the Black people in the region. He talks about how this experience led to him speaking at events organized by the NAACP and local groups on the economics of racism and advocating for racial equality. Mr. Archibald concludes by discussing his experiences working for Sears in Charlotte, North Carolina, as a veteran and a member of the 15th Air Force Association, and his thoughts on imperialism and his hopes for America.
Belle Banks oral history interview, 2002 January 25
In this interview, librarian and historic preservationist Margaret "Belle" Banks describes her early life in Pennsylvania and Delaware, her move to Charlotte, North Carolina in 1944, and her role in restoring Cedar Grove and the Hugh Torrance House and Store in Huntersville, North Carolina. Mrs. Banks discusses finding work in Delaware during World War II coordinating the construction of naval ships, then meeting her husband, Dick Banks, while working as a waitress. She recalls their move to his hometown, Charlotte, after marriage and talks about some of the cultural differences she encountered between Northerners and Southerners. Mrs. Banks speaks at length about restoring Mr. Banks's family properties, which were built by Hugh Torrance beginning in 1831. They began restoring Cedar Grove one room at a time in 1944, and moved there in 1948 with their young daughter once water and electricity were connected. Mrs. Banks describes how she and Mr. Banks invested much of their income in the restoration of the house, and how she saved the family money by buying secondhand goods and by sewing much of their clothing and home furnishings. She also discusses some ghost stories and legends surrounding Cedar Grove. Mrs. Banks recalls that work began on the restoration of the Hugh Torrance House and Store around the 1970s after the Mecklenburg Historical Association showed interest in the project, and that local architect Jack Boyd helped to get the North Carolina state legislature involved. In conclusion, Mrs. Banks suggests that her husband's motivation for undertaking the restorations may reflect a Southern cultural emphasis on preserving family traditions., Margaret Belle Banks was an 83-year-old woman at the time of interview, which took place at her home in Huntersville, North Carolina. She was born in 1918 in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Coatesville High School and was employed as a newspaper writer for the Mecklenburg Gazette, and as a librarian for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Libraries., Banks family papers, 1838-1965. J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections. University of North Carolina at Charlotte.; Torrance and Banks family papers, 1765-1982. J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections. University of North Carolina at Charlotte., Digitization made possible by funding from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.
Jeanne DeArmon Bates oral history interview 1, 2005 May 26
Jeanne DeArmon Bates was a 93-year-old woman at the time of interview, which took place in her home in Charlotte, North Carolina. She was born in Pensacola, Florida in 1912. She attended nursing school in Baltimore, Maryland and was employed as a nurse., Jeanne DeArmon Bates discusses life in Charlotte, North Carolina and her husband's family's role in the development of Charlotte. She talks about her early life moving from Pensacola, Florida to Columbus, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; and Baltimore, Maryland before finally settling down just outside of the city limits of Charlotte in 1937. Ms. Bates briefly discusses her education at nursing school in Baltimore and her career as a nurse. She explains how she met her husband and recounts the history of the DeArmon family in Charlotte, many of whom lived around Central Avenue. She talks about the members of her husband's family, including his grandfather, Cyrus Wolfe, who founded Amity Church, and his father, Dr. John Dearmon.
Edwin Black oral history interview, 2004 March 26
Edwin Black was a 79-year-old man at the time of interview, which took place at the home of Louise Shirley. He was born in Pinehurst, North Carolina in 1924. He was employed in the Navy during World War II on the USS Rich as a radio operator and technician. After the war he was employed as an announcer at WKTC and WSOC-FM in Charlotte, North Carolina and for several other radio stations in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia., Edwin Black discusses his time on the USS Rich during the invasion of Normandy and his life after World War II. Mr. Black joined the U.S. Navy in 1942 when he was eighteen as a radio technician with his cousin. The USS Rich was a convoy ship that went across the Atlantic, but they guarded the USS Nevada for the invasion at Normandy. During the invasion, the ship hit a mine while Mr. Black was aboard. He describes being rescued from the water, watching other men drown, and his injuries from the explosion. Mr. Black also discusses what he did after World War II, including working at several radio stations, including WKTC (now WBT) in Charlotte, North Carolina; watching his son fight in Vietnam; and his involvement with an organization for the survivors of the sinking of the USS Rich.
LeGette Blythe oral history interview 2, circa 1976
Author and former Charlotte Observer reporter LeGette Blythe shares his eyewitness account of the 1929 Loray Mill strike approximately forty-five years after the event took place. Mr. Blythe describes how the chaotic strike atmosphere escalated into hostility and violence. He notes that reporters from several well-known newspapers flocked to the area as word of the turmoil became widespread and the strike attracted national attention. Mr. Blythe discusses the violence that he endured at the hands of the Gastonia authorities and "thug deputies" that the mill had hired. He recounts how a Gastonia policeman confused him with union leader George Pershing during a mass protest with several hundred strikers, and describes how the officers beat him and knocked him unconscious. In addition, Mr. Blythe describes the trial in which Gastonia National Textile Workers Union members stood accused of murdering police Chief Orville Aderholt. Mr. Blythe recounts solicitor John G. Carpenter's use of courtroom theatrics to sensationalize the events surrounding Chief Aderholt's murder. Specifically, he recalls the solicitor's dramatic display of emotion to appeal to jurors and convince them of the union members' guilt. Throughout the interview, Mr. Blythe references a series of articles he wrote for a magazine called Plain Talk in which he described his experiences during the strike.
Stanford R. Brookshire oral history interview 1, 1973 February 16
Stanford Brookshire oral history interview 2, 1973 April 3
Low sound., Stanford R. Brookshire was a 67-year-old man at the time of interview, which took place in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was born in 1905. He graduated from Duke University and was the co-founder and president of Engineering Sales Company in Charlotte, North Carolina. He served as the mayor of Charlotte from 1961 to 1969., In this second interview with Ed Perzel, Stanford Brookshire discusses his experiences as mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina from 1961-1969. He begins by talking about the bombing of four civil rights leader's homes in Charlotte in 1965 and his role in the community meeting that took place afterward. Mr. Brookshire discusses in detail a dispute between the City Council and Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, led by Sam Atkinson, over water and sewer service to Mecklenburg County. He discusses Charlotte's urban renewal program, including opposition from the business community to using federal funds for local purposes, building public housing to replace housing torn down in urban renewal, his belief that the biggest critics of urban renewal were individuals who owned the houses as investment properties that were torn down, and the idea that Independence Boulevard was developed in the way it was to hit certain individual\u2019s properties. Other contentious issues during Mr. Brookshire's terms as mayor discussed in the interview include the building of a civic center, plans to redevelop an old Southern Railway property, road construction planning in south Charlotte, the Charlotte Area Fund, and the Model Cities program in Charlotte. Mr. Brookshire also recounts important civic leaders of his time, including R.S. Dickson, J. Murrey Atkins, and William "Bill" Veeder, and talks about his current work at the time of the interview.
Joseph E. Broughton Jr. oral history interview, 2003 March 2
Joseph E. Broughton Jr. was an 85-year-old man at the time of interview, which took place in Central Steele Creek Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1918. He attended vocational school and was employed in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II and as a major in the Army Reserves. While serving in the Army Reserves, he also owned and operated a landscaping business., Joseph E. Broughton shares what it was like to grow up in Massachusetts during the Great Depression and why he joined World War II. Mr. Broughton was ten years old when the stock market crashed and he got his first job at an ice house to help support his family. He worked for Mrs. Lovett, who advised him to stay at school; advice he took when his father suggested he drop out at sixteen. Mr. Broughton also worked for the Jepsons who paid for him to go to a vocational school and gave him a job once he finished. He explains what it was like during the Great Depression in a small town compared to a city. Mr. Broughton also discusses being drafted into the Army in World War II in 1941 and serving in the Philippines, then joining the Army Reserves after the war.
Susan Cernyak oral history interview, 1974 March 28
Evelyn Choate oral history interview, 2003 February 24
Evelyn Brown Choate was a 91-year-old woman at the time of interview, which took place at her home in Charlotte, North Carolina. She was born in York County, South Carolina in 1911. She was educated at Flora MacDonald College in Red Springs, North Carolina and was employed as a teacher at Pineville Elementary School and other schools in North Carolina., Evelyn Brown Choate, a retired teacher, recounts her experiences during the Great Depression as an orphan in North Carolina. Ms. Choate talks about her family's farm, attending Flora MacDonald College and teaching grade school in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She speaks about needing to work multiple jobs at a time because of low teacher pay and limited school year duration during the Great Depression. She discusses the relative stability of Fayetteville at the time and theorizes that it is a result of the military base, Fort Bragg. She goes on to describe experiences with the military personnel in Fayetteville as well as entertainment and dates during the Depression. Ms. Choate also recalls segregation during this time at movie theaters as well as at schools. Lastly, she describes the development of her church, Pleasantville Presbyterian Church, as well as her perception of historical events in history.
Jack Claiborne oral history interview 1, 2003 June 5
Jack Claiborne, former editor at the Charlotte Observer and former director of public relations at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte), reflects on his life, work, and the city of Charlotte. Mr. Claiborne talks about his childhood growing up on a farm in rural Mecklenburg County, his experiences as a teenager during World War II, and how his interest in baseball and the Charlotte Hornets led him to sports writing and eventually other branches of journalism. Mr. Claiborne discusses his forty year career at the Charlotte Observer, where he is best remembered for his weekly editorial column This Time and Place which ran from 1970-1990. He recounts the difficulties faced by the Observer's first African American journalists and how the paper and newsroom culture transformed during Pete McKnight's tenure as editor-in-chief. As both city editor and Carolinas editor during the turbulent 1960s, Claiborne remembers how the paper's opinions on race, racism, and desegregation were often seen as controversial and provoked angry responses from certain parts of the community. Claiborne eventually went on to become the director of public relations at UNC Charlotte. Here he discusses the growth and development of the university, his time working there, and his beliefs on the importance of the University for the future of Charlotte. Throughout the interview he shares his reflections on the growth of Charlotte as a city, people who promoted change within Charlotte, and some of the major challenges facing the city today.
Charles R. Collie oral history interview, 2004 November 11
Charles Collie describes his boyhood memories of accompanying his father, supervisor Alexander G. Collie, on his job with the Charlotte streetcars during the 1920s and 1930s. He describes his father's work in particular and his own involvement as a 13-year-old boy voluntarily running the streetcar information booth, and on occasion driving a car with the assistance of a motorman. He also discusses his father's involvement with Car 85 and alludes to his father's diary. Collie also shares memories of growing up on Tremont Avenue in Dilworth.
Mattie Creigton oral history interview, 2003 March 5
Mattie Creighton was a 90-year-old woman at the time of interview, which took place in her home in Charlotte, North Carolina. She was born in Charlotte in 1912. She was educated at the Observer School and Steele Creek School and worked in department stores, a textile mill, and the U.S. Rubber Shell Plant during World War II., Mattie Creighton, a lifelong Charlottean, recalls growing up during the Great Depression in Charlotte, North Carolina and working as a young woman during the 1930s and 1940s. Ms. Creighton describes her hardships during the time period including struggling to find employment, not being able to attend college, and experiencing the scarcity of food and clothing. She also talks about what it was like to live in a rural area and how her family had to travel great distances to work and shop. Ms. Creighton discusses her jobs, including working part-time at department stores, at a textile mill and the U.S. Rubber Shell Plant during World War II. Ms. Creighton also gives a detailed account of her grade school education, role in the church, and family achievements.
Steve Crump oral history interview, 2018 December 14
Steve Crump recounts his life as a television reporter and documentary filmmaker from the 1980s into the 2010s. He describes his second career as a director of television documentaries, primarily about the African-American experience. Many of these programs focused on people from the Civil Rights era and he captured their voices, telling their own stories before they died. Other documentaries were about historic events including the era of the black horse jockeys in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the development of black radio in the South in the post-World War II era, and his youthful reporting on the Ku Klux Klan in the early 1980s.
Charles T. Davidson oral history interview, 2018 October 15
Charles T. "Charlie" Davidson, former president of J.A. Jones Construction Co., discusses his life, his family, the history of J.A. Jones and affiliated companies, and the development of the construction industry, during the half century from the 1960s through the 2000s. He begins by discussing his childhood, in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and his years at Lehigh University, where he graduated in 1962, followed by two years of active military service in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Most of the interview discusses his career in the construction industry, from 1964 through 2001. This career started with his employment at the Chas. H. Tompkins Co., a leading construction company in the Washington, D.C., where his father worked as a top executive. The Tompkins Co. had been acquired in 1961 by the J.A. Jones Construction Co., headquartered in Charlotte. Mr. Davidson spent his career working in various J.A. Jones entities, including the Metric Constructors, in Florida, and the Tiber Construction Co., based in Fairfax, VA, which Mr. Davidson led as president from 1979-1986. He moved to Charlotte in 1986, when he was named president of the J.A. Jones Construction Co., one of the most important U.S. construction companies of the twentieth century. In 1991, Davidson became President of the entire Jones group of companies, and in 1995, he became Chairman. He retired in 2001, shortly before J.A. Jones dissolved, thanks to the financial difficulties of its parent company, the German construction conglomerate, Philipp Holzmann AG. Throughout the interview, Mr. Davidson offers a detailed discussion of the workings of the U.S. construction industry in the later 20th century. He describes the construction industry in the Washington, D.C., area; the differences between unionized and non-unionized firms, and the rise of the latter; and the differences between working for the government and working for private customers. Because the J.A. Jones Co. did a great deal of work for the federal government, including contracts with the Navy, the Army, the Department of Energy, and other jobs for the national security establishment, Mr. Davidson explains, the company had an unusual degree of autonomy from its German parent company. He mentions several of the company's biggest projects, which included skyscrapers in Chicago, Atlanta, and around the world, as well as dams, embassies, and military housing. Mr. Davidson also discusses finance in the construction industry, including the importance of bonding capacity. He explains his goals as the leader of J.A. Jones, in the 1980s and 1990s, which included more emphasis on cost controls, eliminating layers of administration, and emphasizing leadership development in the middle management ranks. Mr. Davidson briefly discusses the downfall of the company, in the early 2000s, as well as his post-retirement activities, which have included work as an arbitrator and many initiatives with not-for-profit organizations, including churches and independent schools.
Bobbie Nell Earnhardt oral history interview 2, 2002 April 2
Bobbie Nell Earnhardt was a 81-year-old female at the time of interview, which took place at her home in Charlotte, North Carolina. She was born in Charlotte in 1921. She was employed as a bookkeeper at Charlotte Saw Mill., Bobbie Nell Earnhardt was born on Graham St. in Charlotte, North Carolina; she discusses growing up in Charlotte in the 1930s and shares her family's stories. She tells about her mother working at the handkerchief factory, which turned into the Old Duck Clothing Company, and her father's work as a trolley driver and a police officer. Mrs. Earnhardt also recounts how her father's brother was a chain gang superintendent and her father worked for a time at the chain gang camp as well near Nations Ford Road in Charlotte. She describes the ways Charlotte changed over the years including the local department stores, hospitals, sports stadiums, and newspapers. Mrs. Earnhardt recounts how illegal liquor was a big business in her youth and how bootleggers who lived in the neighborhood hid liquor in fruit jars. She explains how she did welding work at a sawmill during World War II to help in the war effort and decided to stay on as a bookkeeper for about thirty years. She illustrates the new inventions developed in her lifetime, such as roller skates and escalators. Mrs. Earnhardt recalls Jake Burroughs, a Black man around her father's age who formed a close relationship with her family. She describes how her relationship with Mr. Burroughs caused her to feel more warmly toward Black people, but also talks about how Mr. Burroughs and other African Americans were treated unequally in society.
Thereasea Delerine Elder oral history interview 5, 2015 September 30
Thereasea D. Clark Elder discusses the founding of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Black Heritage Committee in 1992 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Topics discussed include her motivation for creating the organization, founding members, the assistance of the Charlotte Post, specific work achieved such as the Thereasea Clark Elder Trailblazer Award, and other relevant organizations, including the Greenville Community Historic Society.
Mark Ethridge oral history interview, 2019 May 13
Mark Ethridge, a journalist, novelist, and media entrepreneur, discusses his career, with special attention to his years as a reporter and editor at the Charlotte Observer newspaper, during the 1970s and 1980s. He begins by discussing his first years as a journalist, as a stringer at Princeton University and in the Boston office of the Associated Press. Most of the interview consists of his detailed recollections of his years as a reporter and editor at the Charlotte Observer, during the 1970s and 1980s. During those years, Mr. Ethridge worked on several prominent reporting projects, including stories about the "Charlotte Three" case, the crash of Eastern Airlines Flight 212 in Charlotte on September 11, 1974; a re-opening of an unsolved murder case in Fairfax, SC concerning Wallace Youmans; the impact on North Carolina of growing awareness of the hazards of tobacco use ("Our Tobacco Dilemma"); the prevalence of "Brown Lung" disease among textile workers ("Brown Lung: A Case of Deadly Neglect"); and the 1980s PTL Club scandal, involving televangelist Jim Bakker. (The Brown Lung and PTL Club stories resulted in Pulitzer prizes for the Observer staff, in 1980 and 1988.) Mr. Ethridge recalls the 1970s and 1980s as a time of high influence and prosperity for newspapers such as the Observer, which had very large staffs, circulations, and revenues and profits. Other people discussed in the interview include, Kay Ethridge, James ("Jim") Batten, Michael ("Mike") Schwartz, John York, Richard A. ("Rich") Oppel, Rolfe Neill, George Shinn, Ray Shaw, and Tom Cotter.
Ed Finman oral history interview 1, 2018 January 25
Ed Finman, the son of Leo Finman who owned locally renowned Leo's Delicatessen, which was located at 1503 Elizabeth Avenue in Charlotte North Carolina between 1950 and 1968, discusses his family history and the history of the business in this first of two interviews. Mr. Finman describes how his ancestors immigrated to the United States from Lithuania to escape genocide around the turn of the Twentieth Century and how they settled initially in Hartford Connecticut before moving South to begin a new venture. He relates how his grandparents moved to Ybor City, Florida, where they opened Finman's Kosher Market, and how his father eventually relocated to Charlotte to open his own delicatessen at the behest of Leo Gottheimer, his mother's uncle, who owned a farm in Mecklenburg County. Leo's Delicatessen originally opened in 1948 at Morehead Street and Kings Drive and was located in the right side of the Center Theater building, but the location was inadequate and the business moved to Elizabeth Avenue within two years. Mr. Finman describes in detail the layout of the delicatessen, including the arrangement of different foods and beverages throughout the shop, the seating, the cooking facilities, and the general lively ambiance. He also discusses the supply of foods, some of which were shipped in from New York City, Brooklyn, Chicago, Baltimore, and Cincinnati. He recalls that the customers represented a cross section of Charlotte society, including medical staff from the nearby Presbyterian and Mercy hospitals and nuns from Mercy Hospital, leading local business people, lawyers, political leaders, and many prominent members of the Charlotte community. In addition, some customers travelled from as far away as the Appalachian Mountains to stock up on particular foods. In contrast to his grandfather's deli in Ybor City, Leo's Delicatessen attracted mostly non-Jewish people, reflecting the small Jewish population in Charlotte at the time. Mr. Finman also recalls people who worked for his parents at the delicatessen, including George Phifer Jr., an African American employee who was Leo's right hand man in the deli as well as being a close companion to Ed Finman himself, and whose family farmed land in the UNC Charlotte area. In addition he reflects on his mother, "Mama Leo" (Helen), detailing her family background, her central role in the delicatessen, and Leo and Helen Finman's overgenerous style of running the business. Other topics discussed include subsequent owners of the business, other local business suppliers, and Leo Finman's ill health that resulted from his work.
Ed Finman oral history interview 2, 2018 March 1
In this second of two interviews Mr. Finman, the son of Leo Finman who owned locally renowned Leo's Delicatessen, which was located on Elizabeth Avenue in Charlotte North Carolina, recalls the ways in which Passover meals were prepared in the deli for the Jewish community and those who wished to eat Kosher. He explains that although Leo's was not restricted to those who ate Kosher, there were some products the deli could not stock in the interest of serving the Jewish community. Mr. Finman explains that about eighty-five to ninety percent of customers were not Jewish, and that there were only approximately 600 Jewish families residing in Charlotte at the time. Other topics discussed in the interview include local youth groups that he and other Jewish children could participate in, his ambition to write a book in which one of the chapters would describe all the food that was contained in Leo's freezer and walk-in fridge, and the many and various patrons of the deli.
Ralph Glenn oral history interview, circa 1976
Ralph Glenn, a native of Gastonia, North Carolina, reflects on the events of the Loray Mill strike of 1929. Mr. Glenn was attending Davidson College at the time of the Loray Mill Strike and was not an eyewitness to the strike. However, his interview provides deep insights into the historical context, growth, and influence of the textile industry in North Carolina during the early twentieth century. He speaks about the conditions of mill life in his hometown of Gastonia, and about native residents' wariness and distrust towards out-of-town mill workers. Mr. Glenn elaborates on the southern Piedmont area’s experience with unions and notes that many negative perceptions hardened after the events of the Loray Mill strike. Other issues discussed in the interview are the role of the communist-leaning National Textile Workers Union (NTWU) in the Loray Mill strike, the police and strikers' levels of participation in the violence of the strike, and the controversy surrounding the trial of some of the Loray Mill strikers.
Ralph Glenn oral history interview, circa 1976
Ralph Glenn, a native of Gastonia, North Carolina, reflects on the events of the Loray Mill strike of 1929. Mr. Glenn was attending Davidson College at the time of the Loray Mill Strike and was not an eyewitness to the strike. However, his interview provides deep insights into the historical context, growth, and influence of the textile industry in North Carolina during the early twentieth century. He speaks about the conditions of mill life in his hometown of Gastonia, and about native residents' wariness and distrust towards out-of-town mill workers. Mr. Glenn elaborates on the southern Piedmont area’s experience with unions and notes that many negative perceptions hardened after the events of the Loray Mill strike. Other issues discussed in the interview are the role of the communist-leaning National Textile Workers Union (NTWU) in the Loray Mill strike, the police and strikers' levels of participation in the violence of the strike, and the controversy surrounding the trial of some of the Loray Mill strikers.
William Gorelick oral history interview, 2017 May 3
William ("Bill") Gorelick, a prominent Charlotte, North Carolina, business executive and philanthropist, discusses his life, his family, the family businesses, philanthropy, and the history and future of the city of Charlotte. He begins with the story of his parents, Israel and Annie (nee Greenberg) Gorelick, who grew up in a Jewish community in Russia and emigrated to the Americas during the 1920s. In this portion of the interview, he describes Annie's migration from Russia to New York around 1920, Israel's work as a peddler in Mexico and Guatemala during the 1920s, the marriage of Israel and Annie in Guatemala in 1928, and their movements from Guatemala to New York to Gaffney, South Carolina, and finally to Charlotte, North Carolina, where they settled in 1933. Mr. Gorelick describes his childhood, during which he experienced World War II rationing, as well as anti-Semitic taunts from other children. He recalls his college years at UNC Chapel Hill and the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated from the Wharton School in 1956. In the middle section of the interview, he discusses his family's consumer finance business, which his brother Shelton helped to establish, along with a cousin, before Mr. Gorelick returned from college. It began as an enterprise offering small loans, in amounts as low as $10, to working-class customers in the region. This business, which eventually became a public company (i.e., one that raised capital by issuing stock to the public) called CMC Finance Group., grew during the 1950s and 1960s, eventually comprising several dozen consumer finance companies in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Mr. Gorelick discusses the business model of this company, which in its early years was limited by state law to charging no more than six percent interest on its loans but managed to make profits by charging various fees to customers. Mr. Gorelick describes the diversification of the company into the market for home mortgages and second mortgages and the financing of automobile insurance, as well as the company's difficulties competing with credit cards, as those became ubiquitous in the late twentieth-century economy. In the later part of the interview Mr. Gorelick describes the merger of CMC Finance Group and the Georgia Railroad Bank & Trust Co. (which occurred in 1973-74), the first in a series of bank mergers acquisitions that would eventually leave the last remnants of the original Gorelick-led businesses in the hands of giant banks, such as Wells Fargo. Mr. Gorelick also describes the real estate investments he and his brother made in the Charlotte area, as part of an enterprise led by their cousin, Abraham Luski. In the final part of the interview, Mr. Gorelick discusses Gorelick Brothers Capital, the investment business now led by his sons, Todd and Rael, his views on philanthropy, and some memories of his wife Patricia. He ends by reflecting on the past, present, and future of the city of Charlotte.
Dale F. Halton oral history interview 2, 2018 March 7
Ms. Dale F. Halton discusses the history of her family's ownership of the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Charlotte, her eventual acquisition of the company, and her role as a female CEO and businesswoman in Charlotte, North Carolina in the 1980s and 1990s. Topics discussed include Ms. Halton's relationships with her grandparents, her late mother, her father and stepmother, and two half-sisters in her youth; discussion of her three husbands and their lasting impacts on her life; the circumstances of her acquisition of the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Charlotte and experiences as a female businesswoman in the city; and reflections on money and her personal philanthropy in support of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Dale F. Halton oral history interview 3, 2018 April 4
Ms. Dale F. Halton discusses her acquisition of the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Charlotte and her experiences as a female CEO in the Charlotte business community in the 1980s. Topics discussed include Ms. Halton's work improving the company after her ex-husband Tucker Johnson's poor management; the attitudes of businessmen and their wives towards Ms. Halton as a female CEO; Darrell Holland and Marilyn Gallagher as mentors to Ms. Halton at the beginning of her career as CEO; the Coke and Pepsi companies as competitors in the 1980s and 1990s; and Ms. Halton's advice on relationship-building in business within the community.
Dale F. Halton oral history interview 4, 2018 June 27
Ms. Dale F. Halton discusses the lives of her grandparents, Henry Barksdale Fowler and Sarah "Sadie" Caroline Clarkson, and their experiences managing the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Charlotte in the 1940s and 1950s. Topics discussed include Ms. Halton's memories of her grandparents as a little girl and her relationships with them throughout her life; her grandparents' reputation as business people in Charlotte and among their employees; the ways in which the company was forced to shift and adapt during World War II and Ms. Halton's recitation of the speech Sadie gave at LaGuardia Airport in front of Eleanor Roosevelt for the Works Progress Administration in 1940; and how Ms. Halton's personal business sense came to be shaped by the different people she met throughout her life.
Ernest Henderson oral history interview, 2004 March 9
Ernest Henderson was an 87-year-old man at the time of interview, which took place in his daughter's home in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was born in Laurens County, South Carolina in 1917. He was educated at Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia before being admitted into the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama for flying. He was employed by the Army Air Corps as a pilot and was also a school administrator for Richland County School District in Columbia, South Carolina., Ernest Henderson talks about his experiences as an African American growing up in Mountville, South Carolina during the 1920s and later serving in the Army Air Corps as a flight instructor during World War II. Mr. Henderson describes attending high school in Clinton, a nearby town, and facing low expectations from teachers and students since he was from the country. He explains how he earned money by selling farm products to save enough to attend Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in Hampton, Virginia in the late 1930s. He recounts how watching a military airplane fly overhead in the country one day made him want to become a pilot, so when the U.S. government began drafting young men for World War II, he decided to work toward joining the Air Corps. Mr. Henderson later transferred to the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama for flight school. He goes on to describe his role in the Army Air Corps in training other pilots in Columbia, South Carolina. He explains that he was not deployed overseas during World War II because they wanted him to stay and train others to fly.
Sandy Hoagland Jr. oral history interview, 2015 September 2
Sandy Hoagland Jr. discusses his life growing up in Steele Creek and in Charlotte's First Ward during the 1960s and 1970s. [All times approximate] [00:00] Mr. Hoagland describes his family's history, his early childhood growing up in the Steele Creek area of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, his family's focus on education, and their move to First Ward in uptown Charlotte in 1969 where his great aunt owned a house on 9th St. He notes his fascination in the Alexander Hotel in First Ward where many famous musicians stayed when they performed in Charlotte. He relates the impact of urban renewal on First Ward and the movement of Black families from the inner city to the Beatties Ford Rd. area. [31:27] He discusses the Earl Village public housing development in First Ward and the close relationship between First Ward and Second Ward. He relates the impact of road construction on both neighborhoods. [36:08] He discusses the involvement of C.D. Spangler as an significant owner of Second Ward property and also as the developer of post World War II housing for Black families including Brookhill Apartments, Double Oaks Apartments, and University Park. He notes that some houses were moved from First Ward to Fourth Ward during urban renewal. He describes the role of his neighbor, (Alando?) Lutz, as the person appointed to inform people that they were required to move. [43:30] He discusses Third Ward during urban renewal and the opening of previously white neighborhoods to African Americans, including Wesley Heights and Belmont. He notes that parts of First Ward that were not affected by urban renewal, further discusses Earl Village, and describes the Blue Heaven neighborhood between East Morehead Street and East Stonewall Street. [56:42] He reflects on his father, Mr. Hoagland Sr., his work for the American Bankers Insurance Company, his close relationship with his employer, Mr. (Rizada?), and Mr. Rizada's support for the Hoagland family. He reflects on extended family support for his family. [1:10:50] He relays his experiences of racial interaction during segregation, his memories of the assassination of Martin Luther King, and changes in racial relations over time. [1:21:09] He describes his family's move from Ninth Street to Eighth Street in 1979/80 when bungalows from Ninth Street were moved to Eighth Street and refurbished. [1:37:25] He describes the schools he and other family members attended, including Piedmont Middle School, Second Ward High School, and Myers Park High School. He gives a first person account of the student riot at Myers Park High School, tensions that led to the riot which was focused around equitable representation in sports, student efforts to resolve the issue, and rezoning of the schools that followed. [1:57:46] He discusses his school friendships with Leon Levine's children at East Mecklenburg High School. He reflects on his time as a student at East Mecklenburg.
Alvin C. Jacobs oral history interview, 2019 December 13
Alvin C. Jacobs, Jr. is a professional photographer and image activist from Rockford, Illinois. In this interview, Mr. Jacobs discusses his life from childhood to adulthood and how particular events during his life influenced him. He details how he became an image activist and his photographing of protests in Ferguson, Missouri after the 2014 murder of Michael Brown at the hands of law enforcement. He also describes how he came to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2016 to document protests following the fatal police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott.
Susan Jetton oral history interview, 2019 January 23
Susan Jetton recounts her experience as press secretary for 1990 North Carolina senatorial candidate Harvey Gantt. She recalls meeting Mr. Gantt in the 1970s and her dedication to his senatorial campaign, which she describes as a "cause." Ms. Jetton describes the Democratic primary race against multiple candidates, including future North Carolina Governor Mike Easley. Ms. Jetton discusses the general race against incumbent Senator Jesse Helms, including his media tactics such as the famous "White Hands" ad. She also describes the patchwork quilt that made up Gantt's support base of African Americans, urbanites, the LGBTQ and Jewish communities, environmentalists, and artists around the country as well as Gantt's dedication to local media and his base. Ms. Jetton reflects on her disappointment in losing the Senate race and her overall positive experience working on Gantt's campaign.
James William Kirk oral history interview 1, 2013 October 7
In this first of two interviews, James Kirk begins by tracing the history of the Kirk family from their Scottish roots to their settling in the Newell community of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and what would eventually become the University area of Charlotte. He describes life growing up on a dairy and cotton farm, including trips to deliver goods to grocery stores in Charlotte. He recollects his school experience at Newell School and recalls several memorable teachers. Mr. Kirk also discusses his family's involvement in Mallard Creek Presbyterian Church, explains the history of the church's annual barbecue, and shares anecdotes about the church's preacher and president of Queens College, now Queens University of Charlotte. He reflects on the impact of World War II on Charlotte life from the perspective of a young man, discusses his experience as a volunteer member of the Naval Reserve for six years and a draftee into the Army in the years following World War II, and describes his career in the postal service. Other topics include the causes of development in the University area, the shopping and entertainment scene in Charlotte in the 1930s and 1940s, and Mr. Kirk's public service, including in creating a volunteer fire department and serving as foreman of a grand jury. Mr. Kirk concludes by briefly discussing his wife, including her career and how they met, and his daughter’s education.
"Chatty" Hattie Leeper oral history interview 1, 2006 December 11
In the first of three interviews, radio DJ "Chatty" Hattie Leeper discusses her early life in the Third Ward and Brookhill neighborhoods in Charlotte, North Carolina. She describes her family and neighborhood, and her experiences attending the segregated Isabella Wyche Elementary School and Second Ward High School. While Mrs. Leeper speaks favorably about her time in school, she recounts painful episodes with a teacher in high school who would verbally and physically punish her for being shy, and describes how this experience sparked her determination to study hard and succeed in life. Mrs. Leeper discusses moving with her mother to Brookhill Village, where she developed a fascination with radio and began spending time at the nearby WGIV AM radio station around age fourteen. She explains how she organized record albums by genre, answered telephones, and paid gospel singers for performing on a Sunday program, and describes how she was very happy when the radio station began paying her for her contribution.
"Chatty" Hattie Leeper oral history interview 2, 2006 December 12
In the second of three interviews, "Chatty" Hattie Leeper discusses her career with AM radio station WGIV in Charlotte, North Carolina as a DJ during the 1940s-1960s. Mrs. Leeper describes the mix of music and talk played at the station, the types of programming throughout the day, and how the station featured both national popular music and local artists. She describes how the station's employees and listeners were diverse, but the station was characterized as predominantly black, particularly in the early days. While advertisers on WGIV in the beginning were all black-owned businesses, Mrs. Leeper describes how white merchants soon began advertising on the station as well. She discusses the service mission of the radio station in the community and memorable guests on her program, ranging from local Charlotte residents to Ike and Tina Turner. Mrs. Leeper also recounts how she got her start as a DJ while a sophomore in high school.
"Chatty" Hattie Leeper oral history interview 3, 2007 January 19
In the last of three interviews with Christina Wright, radio DJ "Chatty" Hattie Leeper discusses her career in radio and other professional pursuits in Charlotte, North Carolina, from the 1950s through the time of interview. She shares stories about her colleagues during her employment with WGIV, WRPL, and WAYS radio stations, including "Genial" Gene Potts, specifics about the how radio broadcasting changed over the decades, instances of workplace harassment and gender discrimination, and the widespread practice of payola, the practice of offering compensation to DJs for playing certain artists' songs, during the mid to late-twentieth century. Ms. Leeper also discusses opening, running, and ultimately closing her school, Chatty's School of Communication, operating a free summer camp for children, holding successful talent competitions for young people, and other acts of service for the community that she engaged in. Ms. Leeper concludes by offering advice on how to be successful in life.
Otto Lutz oral history interview, 1974 March 25
Otto Lutz was a 49-year-old man at the time of the interview. He was born in Uster, Switzerland in 1925. He served in the Swiss Army in his early 20s, and he owned and operated a knitting plant, Swiss Knits, in Lincolnton, North Carolina.\n, Otto Lutz discusses his time in the Swiss Army during World War II. He talks about growing up in Uster, Switzerland, ten to fifteen miles outside Zurich and how he was fourteen when World War II broke out. In 1944, he joined the Swiss Army, as all able-bodied people did in Switzerland as young adults. While in the Army, he patrolled the Swiss-Italian border and looked out for smugglers. He describes how Switzerland, a neutral country during World War II, never engaged in combat with German forces, but the Swiss soldiers feared that there might be a confrontation. Mr. Lutz also talked about rationing, getting news from Germany through the radio, and writing letters to his family in Germany during the war.
J. Henry McGill oral history interview, 2002 November 21
J. Henry McGill was a 99-year-old man at the time of interview, which took place in the McGill Rose Garden in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was born in York County, South Carolina, on August 7, 1903. He was educated at Trinity Park School (Durham, North Carolina), Erskine College, and Smithdeal-Massey Business College (Richmond, Virginia); and was employed as a banker and oil distributor., J. Henry McGill, a Charlotte businessman who with his wife Helen founded the McGill Rose Garden, recounts his life and the development of the garden. A native of York, South Carolina, Mr. McGill moved to Charlotte as financial instability began to afflict rural areas in the lead-up to the Great Depression. After a period working in Charlotte's fragile banking industry, McGill saw a better opportunity in the growing ice delivery business and took a position with the City Ice Delivery Company. In 1950 he purchased the Avast Fuel & Ice Company, along with the property that would one day become the McGill Rose Garden. Mr. McGill explains that the property was an old coal yard, located in a desolate and crime-ridden industrial area in the North Davidson neighborhood now known as NoDa, which galvanized his wife to plant roses in an attempt to clean up and beautify the property. He describes the positive impact the garden had on the community and its residents as it transformed industrial blight into livable green space and improved the reputation of the surrounding area. Mr. McGill discusses what it means to be an All-American Rose Selection public garden, and the work that goes into selecting and caring for the roses. He details the McGill Rose Garden's current community outreach programs, ranging from basic gardening programs for preschoolers to vocational training for low-risk prisoners. The interview concludes with Mr. McGill sharing his views on the importance of outreach, the need to build connections between the garden and the community, and his hopes that the community can be advocates for the garden when he's gone., Digitization made possible by funding from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.