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Charlotte Talks: Charlotte Figures You Likely Don't Know, But Probably Should

Donald Jonas / Twitter (@donaldjonas)

Monday, Sept. 3, 2018

There are key figures in Charlotte's history whose stories aren't widely known. Local attorney and author Scott Syfert hopes to change that, and he joins Mike Collins to discuss the people he considers "eminent Charlotteans."

This program originally aired May 21, 2018

When you think of prominent Charlotteans, a few names immediately surface: Belk, McColl, Levine.

But there are other names that local attorney and historian Scott Syfert considers eminent – names that can be found on a plaque here and a statue there, but aren’t as commonplace as the others.

Credit McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers

People such as Mecklenburg County’s first African-American civic leader – Thad Tate – and the state’s first female physician– Annie Alexander. There’s also the Catawba Indian leader who befriended the leader of the Scots-Irishwho settled in Mecklenburg, and the slaves who built Mecklenburg, but who are what Syfert calls “the forgotten Charlotteans,”

As Charlotte continues its 250th anniversary commemoration, Syfert brings these characters out of historical obscurity in his latest book, Eminent Charlotteans, and he shares why these names are so important to our region’s history.

GUEST

Scott Syfert, author, Eminent Charlotteans: Twelve Historical Profiles from North Carolina’s Queen City; co-founder, May 20th Society; attorney, Moore & Van Allen

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