When I learned about the recent publication of Jack Claiborne’s Charlotte, the Slugger and Me: A Coming-of-Age Story of a Southern City and Two Tenacious Brothers, I immediately flashed back to my introduction to Claiborne’s writings about Charlotte. As soon as I moved to Charlotte in the summer of 1984, I subscribed to The Charlotte Observer, and that’s when started reading his weekly column. Titled “This Time and Place,” this column ran in the paper from 1970 to 1990. In this column, Claiborne wrote about the people and history of Charlotte, and his column helped me better understand the city that has since become my permanent home.
In his new memoir, Claiborne tells the story of how he and his brother Jimmy (who came to be known as Slug) moved to Charlotte in 1936 following the death of their father. At the time he was just five and his brother was four. They grew up together in a city that was not yet known as a New South city, but it was already a city that was rapidly changing. Claiborne devotes much of his memoir to discussing how he and his brother were influenced by the development of the city. As he recalls, both brothers found opportunities in this fast-changing Charlotte. Claiborne built a career as a journalist with The Charlotte Observer while his brother became one of Charlotte’s leading restaurateurs.
Dannye Romine Powell recently interviewed Claiborne about his new memoir. This interview appeared in The Charlotte Observer on March 24, 2024. Toward the end of the interview, she asked the following question: “You describe Charlotte of the 1930s and 1940s as a ‘welcoming place where you didn’t need a fortune or a pedigree to make friends or find favor.” Does today’s Charlotte retain some of those features?” Here is his response:
Oh, yes. Charlotte is still an open and inviting city. Its leaders are still people who came here from elsewhere. There is no ruling class of “Old Charlotte” sachems managing things behind the scenes. District representation ensures that all parts of the city are heard from on vital issues.
For readers who are interested in hearing Claiborne talk about his memoir, the Myers Park Library is sponsoring an event called “An Evening with Jack Claiborne, Retired Charlotte Observer Associate Editor.” This event will take place on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. Registration is required. For more information about this event, please click on the following link: https://cmlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/65f30279ad1be248855a33eb
Charlotte, the Slugger and Me is not Claiborne’s only book about Charlotte. He also wrote The Charlotte Observer: Its Time and Place, 1869-1986 (2012), Crown of the Queen City: The Charlotte Chamber from 1870 to 1999 (1999), and Jack Claiborne’s Charlotte (1974). Anyone who wants to know more about the history of Storied Charlotte should acquaint themselves with the writings of Jack Claiborne.