William Blythe
Perhaps the most respected journalist and versatile author in Mecklenburg County’s history, Blythe got his professional training at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. His classmates included Thomas Wolfe, the future novelist, and Paul Green, future playwright. Journalism was Blythe's first career, which he pursued at The Charlotte News (1922-1925) and The Charlotte Observer (1925-1950). He left the newspaper business and began writing books full time in 1950, winning awards for Miracle in the Hills and Thomas Wolfe and His Family.