Ways of Life: Jerry Richardson was terrifically and terribly human
Also remembered: A teacher who helped create Charlotte's first Traditional K-6 magnet program; an original NASCAR grand national driver; a florist whose arrangements graced big events
You’re reading Ways of Life, a weekly obituaries newsletter from The Charlotte Ledger honoring our friends, neighbors and family members who made an impact on Charlotte through the ways they lived their lives.
The death of Panthers founding owner Jerry Richardson reminds us that legacies are complicated
Jerry Richardson at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium during the Carolina Panthers’ first season in 1995. (Photo via Ed McDonald/Flickr)
by Jeremy Markovich
Over the last two years, I’ve been working with a lot of people who study character for a living. One of the things that continually comes up is a complicated dance you have to do if you hold someone up as a role model. For example: Aristotle’s philosophy was that you can become a person of good character mostly by having good virtuous habits. It’s more complicated than that, but on the surface level, if you try to do good things and reduce your vices, you’ll become a better person. Square that with the fact that Aristotle also thought that some people were naturally born to be slaves and that women are inferior to men. This ancient Greek philosopher, who defines for many what it means to have good character, is hard to hold up wholly as a paragon of virtue.
There are all sorts of examples of this. I recently had a chance to hear from a well-known comedy writer who got into the business because he once adored and emulated a man who turned out to have committed some really despicable acts, whose major works were full of warning signs. How do you separate the artist from the art? How can you excise the important parts of you that were inspired by people who turned out to have done terrible things? Can you? Should you?
At the very least, you have to reckon with these things as you become older, when your initial childlike wonder with your surroundings starts to fade. Trying to believe that we live in a world of absolute good and evil may make it impossible to live in the world that we actually inhabit.
Jerry Richardson died Wednesday at age 86. The major issue with him wasn’t that his Carolina Panthers teams continually followed a good season with a lousy one, or that his own team commissioned a garishly large statue of himself standing between two anatomically accurate big cats. No. It was that Jerry Richardson turned out to be terrifically and terribly human; a man who created a large part of Charlotte’s current cultural identity while being a man who was trapped by the culture of its past. His boys’ club, businessman persona allowed him to land an NFL team in 1995, which is now a generation ago. But his upbringing several generations before that allowed him to think that there was nothing wrong with the way that he treated a number of men and women in his orbit.
Since his death, there have been a lot of remembrances written about him. Many of the former Panthers who played for him—Cam Newton, Steve Smith, Greg Olsen, and Ryan Kalil among them—thanked Richardson for giving them their careers. But there have been two people who shared thoughts with a lot more nuance. One, the team’s former radio play-by-play man, posted this bite-sized anecdote:
The other one was a lengthy Facebook post from Tom Sorensen, the legendary former sports columnist for the Charlotte Observer. It’s a frenetic read, whipsawing between warmth and bitterness, generosity and anger. At once, Richardson can seem down to Earth, and in the next paragraph, feels like he’s not from this planet. Sorensen admits that there’s no one anecdote that can explain Richardson’s complicated personality and life, which makes this particular tidbit feel apropos:
Richardson cared deeply how he was perceived, angry once about something a local TV sports anchor said about him, no more than a sentence or two. Asked him why he cared.
“I just do!” he said.
I only personally crossed paths with Jerry Richardson a few times. In 2012, I was walking up North Tryon Street when he came striding out of the Bank of America Corporate Center after a meeting with his financial advisers. I had a small television camera in tow and abruptly asked him what he thought of the upcoming Democratic National Convention, whose keynote speech was scheduled to be held in his stadium. “There are a lot of people in town who I don’t recognize or know,” he said in his trademark drawl, delivered ever so slowly, a slight smirk on his face. He was a large man who resembled, in so many ways, a little boy.
By that time, I was taking a check from Jerry Richardson, as a freelancer who produced the Carolina Panthers post-game TV show. I never crossed paths with him inside the stadium, where he was always referred to as “Mr. Richardson,” a sign of wary respect. Prayers for the hapless employee who referred to “Jerry,” especially if the man himself happened to be within earshot. That mandatory respect didn’t jive with the time I looked to the other end of the pew my wife and I were sitting in at Myers Park United Methodist Church. There was Richardson and his wife, both wearing name tags. A few moments later in the service, when the pastor asked you to greet people nearby, he stood up and extended his hand to me. “Hi,” he said warmly, “I’m Jerry.”
For years, meeting Jerry Richardson in casual Charlotte situations was a rite of passage, a way to earn your True Charlottean card. For example: The folks at Lupie’s Cafe, one of the city’s few remaining old-school and unpretentious institutions, used to crow about the fact that Richardson would stop by and eat there with little fanfare. He’d just sort of show up at places like that, not trying to attract a crowd, but at 6’3” and built like the bulky Baltimore Colts wide receiver he used to be, he never quite blended in.
When he landed the Carolina Panthers franchise in 1993, he famously found a TV camera from Channel 3 in Charlotte, looked directly into the lens, and said “thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” He rode in parades. He was famously visible in his owner’s box in Bank of America Stadium. He made sure to hold training camps at Wofford College in Spartanburg, the place he’d graduated from, and the place where he’d go on to donate nearly a quarter-billion dollars. He was, for a time, one of Charlotte’s most famous people, and certainly one of its most powerful.
And yet. Right around the time when he was trying to get the team, his company, Flagstar, was settling lawsuits for racial discrimination at the Denny’s Restaurants it owned. During his tenure as the Panthers owner, he touched women inappropriately, made inappropriate sexually-charged comments to them, and once used a slur to refer to a Black scout. I, again, never witnessed this either. But I did witness a particularly cringe-worthy press conference where he openly, repeatedly, and obviously flirted with a reporter who was sitting in the front row. I’ve talked to a lot of people who were once in the building over the years. Many of them knew the importance of what he built, but were overjoyed to see him gone after he sold the team to David Tepper in 2018.
Hence, the same man who once drove 80 miles to attend the funeral of a season ticket-holder he’d never met was also capable of, according to a woman he employed, “[calling] me to your stadium suite in the middle of the week so you could take off my shoes, place my legs in your lap and rub their entire length, from toes to crotch.”
If you tend to see Richardson as a great man, which was his public persona in Charlotte for a very long time, you may feel that the two paragraphs above are hard-to-read or unfair. If you don’t, you might think that those two paragraphs should be at the top. In the end, the first lines of so many obituaries begin with both: The scandal and the legacy. Some people chose to look past all that, and remember him for the objective thing that he did: Bring an NFL franchise to Charlotte. But Jerry Richardson, like all of us, was more complicated than that. He turned out to be human, and another example of something we all realize eventually: All of us are capable of wonderful and terrible things.
is a longtime North Carolina journalist and author of the newsletter, which unpacks the state’s strange minutiae like whether Richard Petty once autographed a live duck, late dictator Hugo Chávez’s visit to Hickory and the real story behind a GIF of Hugo the Hornet getting smacked in the face. This article first appeared in North Carolina Rabbit Hole and is republished with permission. You can sign up for North Carolina Rabbit Hole here.Jerry Richardson’s pastor reflects
Charlotte’s Jerry Richardson is mostly remembered for bringing NFL football to the Carolinas, and also for the workplace misconduct scandal that forced him to sell the team. Everyone from PSL owners to journalists has an opinion. Before yours becomes set in stone, consider weighing all sides, and hearing from a variety of people who knew him better than most. Life is complicated. Legacies, more so.
Richardson belonged to Myers Park United Methodist Church. The Ledger invited Senior Pastor James Howell to share a reflection. Here’s what he emailed to us:
Mr. Richardson was a great friend to me, and to our church. He was a faithful member, and served as a Trustee. He loved the Carolinas, and made a huge impact, much of it quietly behind the scenes. Those who had been disadvantaged in some way broke his heart, and prompted his generosity. Attentive to any and everyone: when a kid he’d never met invited him to his birthday party, Mr. Richardson took this invitation seriously and spoke with me about how best to respond. He was always gracious, and wise. I loved him dearly.
— Ken Garfield
Other obituaries this week:
Nancy Moody Bass, 86, of Charlotte was a leading figure in rallying families and the community to create Charlotte’s first Traditional K-6 magnet program at Elizabeth Traditional Elementary School in 1977. She taught in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for more than a decade. Later, she worked with her husband in developing and growing the L.D. Bass Jr. Nationwide Insurance Agency. Nancy enjoyed dancing the Carolina shag, reading novels and following and cheering on ACC basketball.
Jeanette “Jean” Elliott Newcombe Carrington, 93, of Charlotte was a lifelong golfer and won her first tournament, the Junior Girls Championship, in 1941 at the Charlotte Country Club. Even into her 80s, after having two hip and two knee replacements, she loved to play golf. Jean was a charter member of Christ Episcopal Church. She joined several organizations, including the Junior League of Charlotte.
Queen Esther Clinton Hunter, 93, of Charlotte moved to Charlotte with her family in 2007. She joined Mayfield Memorial Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte, where she was a member of the Xtra Years of Zest.
Carson Brooks Cooper, 18, of Charlotte was a student at Emerald School of Excellence in Charlotte. In recent years, he was a member of DeMolay International and ran track and cross country.
Charles “Chuck” Evans, 91, of Charlotte moved to Charlotte in 1980 after he became the administrator for Mecklenburg Medical Group, working there for 19 years. Chuck volunteered at Raintree Country Club and the Charlotte USO. He enjoyed playing golf and traveling around the world, as well as attending Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Hornets games.
Helen “Ann” B. Floyd, 89, of Charlotte worked with the City of Charlotte before retiring after 28 years. Helen began her profession with AME Zion Publishing House and transitioned to working for Dr. Emery Rann as his receptionist before joining the city. After retirement, Helen joined many auxiliaries including West Charlotte Center and the Pacesetters at The Park Church. In 1965, she joined University Park Baptist Church and served as its bookkeeper.
Mary Ann Shannonhouse Glover, 89, of Charlotte helped design and implement an early intervention reading program at Myers Park Elementary School in conjunction with the Junior League of Charlotte. She attended Eastover Elementary School and Alexander Graham Junior High School before graduating from Central High School in 1951. Ann was an active member of Christ Episcopal Church for over 50 years.
James “Jimmy” L. Helms Jr., 87, of Charlotte served with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Lake Patrol/Citizens on Patrol. Jimmy was a past mason with St. Andrew’s Lodge in Charlotte. He was one of the original NASCAR grand national drivers, driving for Buck Baker and then independently.
Frances Curry Kerr, 94, of Matthews worked in Charlotte at Family and Children’s Service, the Center for Human Development, Chantilly School and Central Piedmont Community College, where she also received a master’s in counseling. Fran joined Myers Park Baptist Church and served as a deacon, chair of a women’s circle and on the board of missions. She enjoyed camping, traveling, photography, genealogy and quilt-making.
Laura Antoinette “Toni” Kratt, 80, of Charlotte had a private law practice before joining the Charlotte City Attorney’s Office, where she spent the rest of her career. She held office with the Mecklenburg County Bar, the NC Bar Association and the Zonta Club of Charlotte. Toni graduated from Myers Park High School and was a lifelong member of Myers Park Baptist Church, where she served as a deacon and Sunday school teacher. She also sang in the choir.
Scott Alex Kremers 74, of Charlotte served as a pulmonary and critical care physician until his retirement in 2010 from Mecklenburg Chest Medicine. Scott had a love of literature and gardening and enjoyed traveling in his retirement. Scott was a consummate storyteller and always appreciated hearing and telling a good joke.
Leah Watson Martin, 71, of Charlotte worked for a number of years as a department manager with Belk. She was a graduate of Myers Park High School and King’s Business College. Leah was a member of Pritchard Memorial Baptist Church in Charlotte. She was an avid Carolina Panthers and UNC Tarheels fan.
Burch Scott Mixon, 61, of Charlotte grew up in Charlotte and was a member Christ Episcopal Church and launched a supper club that still convenes to this day. He had a love of gardening and served on the board of Wing Haven. He served on the board of Seigle Avenue Partners and helped it grow into Freedom School Partners.
Leslie Parks, 58, of Charlotte was a graduate of Garinger High School and Central Piedmont Community College’s dental assistant program. Leslie was an animal lover.
Anne Merrill Philips, 87, of Charlotte had a keen eye for design and décor and was often called on by the Charlotte Symphony, Opera Carolina and the Mint Museum to bring beauty and style to their events with her extraordinary flower arrangements. She shared her talents at events such as The Antiques Show and the opening of Discovery Place and Charlotte Country Day School. Anne worshiped at Christ Episcopal Church.
Martha Sue Phillips, 101, of Charlotte was a member of Mulberry Baptist Church in Charlotte. Martha graduated from Central High School. She worked in the medical field for 12 years and retired from the Small Business Administration after 22 years.
Edward Paul Pizer, 89, of Charlotte practiced corporate and real estate law in Charlotte before moving to Chapel Hill. Upon returning to Charlotte, he served on the Levine Jewish Community Center board.
Marion Richard “Pete” Rhea, 93, of Jacksonville, Fla., taught at Central Piedmont Community College for more than two decades and was an instructor for electrical inspectors. He was a past president of the Charlotte Engineers Club. He moved to Charlotte after college to work at Duke Power. He attended the United Methodist Church his entire life, was a Sunday school teacher for more than 35 years, and a member of Providence United Methodist Church in Charlotte.
Patricia Ann Siegner, 92, of Charlotte was an avid volunteer with Charlotte Crisis Assistance Ministries in the early years of the charity. She had a passion for tennis, ceramics, cross-stitching and painting.
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