Ways of Life: An under-recognized basketball star
Also remembered: A banker who served on the law enforcement citizen advisory board; the former Mecklenburg County manager; a banking executive with a flair for home decorating
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Some say Paul Grier was the best basketball player ever to come out of Charlotte. He leaves a legacy of basketball players, who have more opportunities than he ever had.
Paul Grier grew up playing basketball, first at West Charlotte High and then at N.C. A&T. His children and grandchildren also played the game, and he was there for them. (Photo courtesy of the family)
By Melinda Johnston
When 87-year-old Paul Grier passed away in February, Charlotte lost one of the best basketball players most people had never heard of.
Many knew Grier from the Charlotte Country Club, where he worked for more than 30 years as a caddie, groundskeeper and friend to all who played the course. Before shoulder surgery, he could match many of them stroke for stroke, a serious enough golfer that he played on a black pro tour for a few years.
But his first love was basketball. Growing up in the inner city of Charlotte, Grier played day and night, competing against whoever showed up, including former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot.
Vinroot starred at East Mecklenburg High School while Grier dominated the courts at West Charlotte. Players and games at the white school made the headlines, while those at the Black schools were rarely covered by the media. Some say Grier was the best player to ever come out of the city, but the color of his skin made the difference when it was time for college.
Vinroot played for Chapel Hill, Grier for N.C. A&T — a good school, but not with the same reputation as Carolina. During his sophomore year, he came home one weekend and was recruited to play in an exhibition game against Goose Tatum’s Harlem Stars. He scored 26 points that day and made $45. But accepting that money cost him his college eligibility.
Dropping out of college, he joined the Harlem Stars and later several other exhibition teams that played across the country. Basketball even took him to Cuba where he shook hands with Fidel Castro shortly before the Cuban Missile Crisis.
He played the game well until 1964, when he was shot in the hip by a stray bullet while leaving a Chicago bar. That bullet ended his basketball career. But he soon traded basketball for golf and toured the black pro circuit for a time before coming back to Charlotte and finding a home at the Charlotte Country Club.
There he caddied and tended the grounds. He started a lawn business on the side. Throughout it all, he put his family first.
“He was a great dad. He brought us up with values and morals, and taught us how to respect our elders,” said daughter Paula Grier.
Though segregation severely limited his opportunities as an athlete, his son Paul Grier Jr. says his father never complained.
“He never expressed bitterness. I never heard him complain about all that he went through being Black. But he worked hard to make sure that his children and grandchildren would have the opportunities that he was denied,” said Paul Jr.
Grier rarely missed a game of any family member; and with every child and grandchild playing basketball, most throughout high school and some on through college, he attended too many games to count. And he wasn’t just there to observe.
“He always said he sat behind the referee so that he could give them hell. That’s what he said he was going to do,” says grandson DeMario Grier.
The family still talks about the time that Grier, as a spectator, was ejected from a game with a technical foul after giving the referee a little too much advice. But he likely knew more than the officials, as his family’s pedigree demonstrates.
Paul Jr. was a star player at Glenville State University in West Virginia and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2015.
Grier’s daughter, Paula, played high school ball at Olympic High School. Her three sons were basketball standouts as well, with Rico and DeMario both going on to star at Pfieffer College, where their grandfather’s friends at the Charlotte Country Club helped them get scholarships.
After graduation, Rico played two years in Germany, a year in the Czech Republic, a year in Ukraine and a year in Slovakia. DeMario played a year in Cypress and Germany before returning to the States.
Now Rico and DeMario both run training programs, and both have children who will most certainly play in college and may quite possibly go pro. Their brother, Hysien, now owns his grandfather’s lawn business and continues to grow it.
“He was a very loving man,” said Rico. “He was all about his family, and he was all about helping people. That’s where I got my heart, learned what it means to be a business owner, what it means to wake up early every morning and go to work.”
DeMario says that while everyone loved his grandad, he made sure that everyone knew where he stood.
“There was no sugar coating with him. If it came up in his mind, it came out of his mouth. He really didn’t care what you felt about him; he kept it real. But he would do anything for you. Whatever you needed, he was there to help.”
Though the color of his skin may have kept him out of the limelight during much of his career, Grier’s patience, persistence and performance demonstrated a good life lived by a great man — a life that continues to positively influence his family and friends.
Paul Grier’s legacy continues, just as he would have wanted.
Melinda Johnston is a freelance writer who believes everyone has a story to tell. She simply writes those stories down. Reach her at m.johnston@carolina.rr.com.
Other obituaries this week:
Bessie Lee Stevenson Tillman Craig Black, 74, of Charlotte graduated from Second Ward High School in 1967. Bessie studied cosmetology West Charlotte High School and used those skills to provide hairstyles for many young ladies in the community. She attended Pfeiffer University for business studies, which helped accelerate her career of 24 years at Allstate Insurance Co. as a quality analyst. Bessie was a dedicated member of The United House of Prayer for All People. She volunteered on one of the many Juneteenth celebration committees for the City of Charlotte and participated at the Democratic National Convention held in Charlotte.
Margaret Love Brandon, 79, of Winston-Salem earned her biology degree from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte in 1965. Her concern, care and warmth were contagious, enriching the lives of everyone she touched.
Jason W. Clayton, 42, of Harrisburg worked at Benny Pennello’s pizza in Charlotte as an assistant manager. He previously worked as an exterminator. Jason was a lifelong fan of the Washington Redskins.
Robert Dayl Croskery, 78, of Charlotte worked in the banking industry including for Bank of America and Wells Fargo, and following a merger, moved to Charlotte. Robert served on a citizen advisory board for Charlotte-Mecklenburg law enforcement. He worked as an informative tour guide in places he lived, including Charlotte.
Vanessa Diane Darby, 71, of Charlotte worked at the Federal Reserve Bank until 1974 before going to work at S&A Flower Shop and later, Stroud’s Florist in Charlotte. Vanessa graduated from West Charlotte High School in 1970 and attended Central Piedmont Community College. She loved to sing and shared her voice with a variety of choirs including the West Charlotte Choral Chorale and the Greater Charlotte Community Chorale. As a kidney dialysis patient, Vanessa established The Lights Of Love, a non-profit organization to provide support, encouragement and basic necessities throughout the years for fellow patients.
Cecil Jerome “Zeke” Foard, 92, of Charlotte was named Small Business Enterpriser of the Year by the Charlotte Observer for his company, Sign Art, in 1984. With his wry sense of humor, Zeke said he loved working at the company, but he really wished his damned boss would let him have a day off once in awhile. Zeke was a founding member and frequent attendee of Unitarian Universalist Community Church in Charlotte. When he did manage to take a day off, he enjoyed sailing his green-hulled Tartan sailboat on Lake Norman.
Gerald George “Jerry” Fox Sr., 91, of Charlotte served as the Mecklenburg County manager from 1980 to 2000. Charlotte and Mecklenburg County exploded with growth under his management. His deep love of the arts helped cultivate the growth of Charlotte’s opera, symphony and ballet programs, which thrived with Jerry at the helm of their boards. He was a significant force in bringing the Carolina Panthers to Charlotte. In 2012, honoring his many years in government service, UNC Charlotte renamed its Master of Urban Administration program to the Gerald G. Fox Master of Public Administration program. August 1, 2019, was declared “Jerry Fox Day” in Mecklenburg County.
Joe Albert Furr, 86, of Blackstock, S.C., graduated from East Mecklenburg High School before beginning a career with Southern Bell Telephone Co. that lasted 35 years. His true passion was singing and directing the St. James Male Chorus in Charlotte for nearly 55 years. He was a master woodworker and loved to fish. Joe was a master at cooking barbecue, setting up pits and cooking pig all over the country.
Angela Gallagher, 64, of Charlotte found solace and strength in her faith as a parishioner at St. Matthew Catholic Church in Charlotte. She was known for her passion for cooking and her adeptness at solving puzzles.
Nancy “Sharon” McIver Gay, 80, of Charlotte dedicated her professional life as an assistant to the dean at Central Piedmont Community College. Sharon found joy in the simple things in life, from gardening to working on her lawn, completing house projects and expressing her creativity through painting.
James Mitchell Lockhart, 79, of Charlotte worked in the moving industry, eventually establishing his own transportation company in Charlotte, James M. Lockhart Trucking, which he managed for 30 years. James grew up attending Middle Street AME Zion Church and later became an active member of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, where he participated in Sunday school and served on the security team. He graduated from West Charlotte High School in 1962.
Patricia Miller McDade, 73, of Harrisburg retired after 46 years as assistant vice president of Wells Fargo, formerly First Union. Pat was an avid reader, who installed two Little Free Libraries in her neighborhoods and a bookshelf at her oncologist’s office. She loved decorating for Christmas and won the “Highlight Your Home” contest in 2022.
William “Bill” Hardison McGoogan, 70, of Charlotte began what would become a 32-year career at Consolidated Planning in Charlotte before retiring in 2016. He took night classes at UNC Charlotte and passed all four parts of the CPA exam on his first attempt. Bill was an accomplished golfer, highlighted by his two hole-in-ones and numerous tournament victories at Myers Park Country Club. He loved the beach, and some of his happiest times were spent on the Carolina coast.
Dianne Maxwell Reichard, 80, of Concord enjoyed volunteering at Levine Children's Hospital, holding and rocking premature babies in the NICU. Her many adventures included working as a chef, painter, massage therapist and an office manager for an orthodontist practice. Many of her favorite memories included vacation time at Hilton Head Island and in the N.C. mountains.
Allen Edward Rushing, 62, of Charlotte started in transportation as a bus driver for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. He then became a truck driver, and his last employment was with Show Pros Entertainment in Charlotte. Allen graduated from Olympic High School. In his leisure time, he would watch sports (Tar Heels all day but never Duke), old cowboy movies, “Good Times” and “In the Heat of the Night.”
William Walter Stewart, 59, of Concord worked for JR Cole Industries in Charlotte for 40 years as the director of quality assurance and his most recent promotion was to technical sales representative. Bill was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing, football and especially hiking on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
John Reed Sullivan, 77, of Albemarle began his tenure with Carolinas Healthcare Systems in Charlotte as an executive vice president in 1995 before leaving for another opportunity in 2008.
James Brooks Thomas, 68, of Charlotte was born in Charlotte and returned in 2008 and secured employment as a superintendent with Advance One Development, a landfill gas company, following the economic downturn of 2008. His interests matured into a fervent appreciation for Civil War history, marksmanship and an enduring fascination with motorcycles. He had a passion for building hot rods and motorcycles in his younger days.
Ways of Life condensed obituaries are compiled by Darrell Horwitz.
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Ways of Life editor: Craig Paddock