Former Charlotte mayor and businessman Phil Van Every will be the latest statue erected as part of the Trail of History’s memorialization of individuals who shaped and defined Charlotte.
Dr. Tony Zeiss, Chairman of the Trail, said Every was selected as the 12th statue due to his commitment to Charlotte and his leadership. Other statues include William Henry Belk, Captain Jack and Thomas Polk.
The grandson and son of Lance Packing Company founders Philip L. Lance and Salem A. Van Every, Phil Van Every joined the snack company in 1932 as a salesman.
By 1961 he was the president and CEO of the company, overseeing its plant expansion on what is now South Boulevard, where Lance snacks are still made today.
Van Every also served as mayor pro tem and mayor of Charlotte for two terms from 1953 - 1957. As mayor, he presided over the completion of Independence Boulevard, an expansion of Memorial Hospital, the building of Park Road Shopping Center and Ovens Auditorium-Coliseum complex, and the fundraising campaign for the Dowd YMCA.
The statue unveiling will take place Saturday at 10:30 a.m. along the Little Sugar Creek Greenway behind the Metropolitan shopping center.
