Charlotte Happenings is your monthly guide to events and things to do in and around Charlotte, NC.
Issue link: http://charlottehappenings.epubxp.com/i/776370
SPOTLIGHT C O N T E M P O R A R Y G A M E C H A N G E R S MICHAEL JORDAN SPORTS He's the man behind the phrase "Be like Mike." A college, NBA and U.S. Olympic Team basketball legend, Jordan currently serves as chairman and majority owner of the NBA Charlotte Hornets basketball team. A member of countless sports halls of fame and the recipient of hundreds of accolades— including two Olympic gold medals—Jordan is the first former player to become the majority owner of an NBA franchise. DEE DIXON MEDIA A veteran advertising professional, Dixon purchased Pride Magazine (which she previously worked on in other capacities) from The Charlotte Observer in 2001, whereupon she became the publisher, and also founded Pride Communications as well as Pride Public Relations. She is co-founder of the Women's Inter-Cultural Exchange and founder of PEEP, a non-profit benefiting area youth. In 2006, Dixon became the first African-American Charlotte Business Woman of the Year. POLITICS, ARTS & CULTURE In Harvey Gantt's own words, "there was no wish on my part to become a pioneer." However, in the tradition of men like Thaddeus Tate and the Alexander brothers, Gantt's academic achievements, political ascension and professional success rendered him a trailblazer of epic proportions throughout the Carolinas. Born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1943, Gantt came of age during the critical decades of the civil rights movement. As a youth, he was involved in the NAACP Youth Council and was actively involved in the student sit-in campaign in Charleston. In 1962, Gantt became the first African American admitted to Clemson University after nearly two years of petitioning and legal proceedings. He graduated from Clemson in 1965 with a bachelor's degree in architecture, and five years later, he received his master's degree in city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During the 1970s, Gantt's work as professional architect and urban planner took off. He served as planner for Soul City, an experimental town northeast of Durham, North Carolina, that was envisioned by its founder, civil rights leader Floyd McKissisk, as a multiracial city organized by African Americans. In 1971, Gantt and architect Jeff Huberman founded the firm Gantt Huberman Architects in Charlotte. Over the years, the firm has been responsible for a number of area landmarks, including the UNC Charlotte Center City building, ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center and the Charlotte Transportation Center, among others. By the mid-1970s, Gantt added civil servant to his resume—first as a city councilman, where he served from 1974 to 1983, and then as the first African-American mayor of Charlotte. Gantt served two terms as the city's mayor (1983-1987) before launching unsuccessful bids for U.S. Senate seats in 1990 and 1996. SHOULDERS THE ON WHICH WE STAND HARVEY GANTT PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER 52 FEBRUARY 2017