In Memoriam 2024: Charlotte Community Leaders Who Have Passed On This Year
For those we lost along the way
We lost many great people in Charlotte this year. Here are memorials to just a few.
Dan Wade
Born March 20, 1987
Passed away on Feb. 20, 2024
The Charlotte craft beer community and beyond suffered a loss in Wooden Robot Brewery’s Head Brewer and co-founder Dan Wade, who died in a tragic accident at the brewery. Wade started as a homebrewer in college at the University of Florida, furthering his education in brewing with a master’s degree at the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Wade and fellow co-founder Josh Patton became best friends in middle school, continued on as they became enthusiastic homebrewers, then launched Wooden Robot Brewery together in 2015. Wade became a father for the first time on Jan. 1, 2024. He became a staple in Charlotte’s brewing community, but his impact didn’t end there.
“Dan Wade was more than just a skilled brewer providing beer to the Charlotte Community; he was the backbone of his family, providing love, support, and stability,” read the post on a GoFundMe campaign that followed Wade’s sudden death. “His passion for his craft was evident in every pint that came from Wooden Robot, and his warm personality left a lasting impact on everyone he encountered. He leaves behind his loving wife, and their beautiful newborn son.”
Mildred Grier
Born May 10, 1923.
Passed away on March 9, 2024, at 100 years old
Mildred Grier was part of the first graduating class at Second Ward High School, Charlotte’s first high school for Black students, and continued to advocate for the preservation of the school’s history throughout her life. She also was among the first women admitted as freshmen to Johnson C. Smith University in 1941 and later received a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Teachers College in New York City, where she studied during the summers.
Grier was an active member of First Baptist Church-West, which her formerly enslaved grandparents helped to establish in 1867. In a 2020 Q&A with QCity Metro, Grier reflected on the advice she would give to young folks.
“I learned that to be loved, you have to be loving, too,” she said. “There are things you have no control over. You don’t worry about it. Be the best you can be. That’s all that God requires.”
Dr. Bertha Maxwell-Roddey
Born June 10, 1930
Passed away on March 20, 2024, at 93 years old
Born in 1930, Dr. Bertha Maxwell-Roddey graduated from Oconee County Training School and received a Bachelor of Arts from Johnson C. University, a Master of Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a doctorate from Union Graduate School in Ohio. She helped integrate Albemarle Road Elementary School after coming on as principal there, one of the first Black women in the area to serve as head administrator at an all-white school.
In 1970, she became the second Black full-time professor at UNC Charlotte, then became the first chair of the Afro-American and African Studies Department there. In 1974, Maxwell-Roddey co-founded Charlotte’s Afro-American Cultural Center, now the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, with fellow professor Mary Harper.
“Dr. Roddey’s legacy lives on through the countless lives she influenced by way of education, community advocacy, and the importance of preserving and celebrating Black history, arts, and culture,” read a statement from the Gantt Center upon Maxwell-Roddey’s passing.
Dr. Maxwell-Roddey started the first Head Start program in Charlotte and co-founded the Theodore and Bertha M. Roddey Foundation. She served on more than 50 boards and commissions and received numerous awards for her dedication, including the Thurgood Marshall Award of Education, Order of the Long Leaf Pine, and Eagle Fly Free Award from the Institute for the Advancement of Multicultural & Minority Medicine.
Willie James Rhynes
Born March 15, 1935
Passed away on April 30, 2024 at 90 years old
Willie James Rhynes, Charlotte entrepreneur and patriarch of the family behind Mr. Charles Chicken & Fish, played an essential role in helping the restaurant, originally established as a convenience store called the Big Apple, become the success it is today. Born in the First Ward neighborhood and raised in the historic Brooklyn neighborhood, Rhynes attended Alexander Street School and the Historic Second Ward High School.
In the 1960s and ’70s, Rhynes owned several businesses in and around the Historic West End, including restaurants Soul Bowl I & II and Crazy Baby, nightclubs Star Lounge and Mr. Silks, clothing stores, grocery stores, pool halls, a record store, a laundromat, and a shopping center on South Tryon.
“Many family members worked alongside Will … and family knew that as long as he had a business, they had a job,” read Rhynes’ obituary. “As well, the Double Oaks Community was Will’s extended family … the game room was a safe haven for many neighborhood kids, his office was a place where hearts were opened and wisdom and funds were shared, and the grocery store was a place where customers were able to buy groceries within walking distance of their home or on credit, if need be, like the old days.”
Mark “MFG” Baker
Born April 12, 1970
Passed away on May 12, 2024 at 54 years old
Over the last decade or so, Mark Baker, aka Mark from Gastonia, went from a disconnected voice floating over the airwaves on WFNZ to the embodiment of passion, ACC and Charlotte sports fandom, and Southern humor. In his last months, as he battled stomach cancer, he got the chance to see how many lives he had touched during his years calling in to the Mac & Bone Show and sometimes joining the hosts for excursions in his Batmobile.
Whether inspiring fellow Panthers fans with his Friday Panthers Pep Talks or simply sharing his hot-to-the-point-of-nonsensical takes on all things Southern sports, those who knew him — whether personally or parasocially — will never forget him.
Pat “Big Pat” Doughty
Born March 24, 1969
Passed away on July 24, 2024, at 55 years old
Immediately recognizable by his booming voice, Charlotte Hornets public address announcer Pat “Big Pat” Doughty brought an unmatched energy to the Spectrum Center over 20 seasons with the franchise. Born in Salisbury, Maryland, Doughty went to the University of Maryland – Eastern Shore, where he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020. He was also a Navy veteran.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Pat Doughty,” the Hornets wrote in a statement following his death. “Big Pat’s vibrant voice was the backbone of our game experience and energized Spectrum Center every night. He was dedicated to our team and our fans, even as he fought health issues in recent years. He will be greatly missed by everyone associated with the Hornets organization. Our thoughts are with Pat’s family and his many friends.”
Kelly Alexander Jr.
Born Oct. 17, 1948
Passed away on Sept. 6, 2024 at 75 years old
Charlotte lost multiple champions from the Civil Rights Movement this year, and Kelly Alexander, Jr. remains an icon of that area. A 17-year-old Alexander somehow survived the 1965 bombing of his family’s University Park house on a night when multiple civil rights leaders across Charlotte were targeted, despite the fact that he and his brother were sleeping closest to the blast.
At the time, Alexander’s father was chair of the state NAACP and his uncle Fred, whose house was also bombed a couple doors down, had just been elected as Charlotte’s first Black city council member since the era of the Fusion political party in the 1890s.
In 2007, Alexander would join the North Carolina General Assembly, where he remained an advocate for civil rights while taking up the torch in the fight to legalize marijuana. Sadly, Alexander did not live to see that come to fruition.
Listen: Nooze Hounds: Rep. Kelly Alexander Jr. Talks Black History
Like his father before him, Alexander served as president of the NAACP North Carolina State Conference from 1987-1993.
“Today, we mourn the loss of one of our greatest leaders, NAACP North Carolina Former President Kelly Alexander Jr.,” wrote current NAACP NC President Deborah Dicks Maxwell in a statement following his death. “His contributions to the civil rights movement in North Carolina and beyond are immeasurable. Kelly Alexander was a champion for justice, a voice for the voiceless, and an unwavering advocate for equality … From his work in the legislature to his leadership within the NAACP, his impact will be felt for generations to come. The entire state of North Carolina has lost a beacon of light, but his legacy will continue to inspire us all to push forward in the fight for justice and equality.”
