Category: Davidson College

Gordon James Mietz (Dutch) was born August 29, 1933 to Arthur and Eleanor Powell Mietz in Syracuse, New York. He was a graduate of Onondaga Valley Academy, class of 1951 and Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, class of 1955.

While at Clarkson, Dutch, as a Freshman, lettered and played on Clarkson’s last football team. He also earned letters as a member of the golf team and was a four-year letterman on the Golden Knights hockey team. During his senior year he was Captain of the hockey team and recipient of the Pilon Memorial Award (superior hockey ability and outstanding leadership in the student body). In addition, he was a member of the Varsity “C” Club, Sigma Delta fraternity and was an ROTC cadet.

On graduation, Dutch received a degree in business administration and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve. After serving two years on active duty, he joined the faculty of Paul Smiths College, Paul Smiths, NY, as an instructor of Accounting. He subsequently joined the I.B.M. Corporation, from which he retired in 1987 after holding positions as Systems Engineer, Systems Analyst, Programming and Data Center Manager and Education Instructor in a 28 year career. In that time, he also participated in IBM’s Faculty Loan Program, teaching at Johnson C. Smith University, Charlotte, NC for the 1983-84 school year. After retiring from IBM, Dutch moved to Davidson, NC where he coached the golf team until retiring from the position in 1993.

Over the years since graduating from Clarkson, Dutch continued his athletic endeavors as a golfer, handball player, long-distance runner and tri-athlete and still worked out on a daily basis. In Davidson he volunteered at the Ada Jenkins Center, St. Alban’s Episcopal Church and was an avid fan of Davidson College athletics.

Dutch is survived by his devoted wife of 60 years, Alice, Richard Mietz, William and (Barbara) Mietz and Barbara and (Mitch) Hartung, and Alice’s children, who he raised as his own, David and (Nancy) Dolph and Laura (Dolph) Branham. Also eleven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Dutch’s Life Service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, October 11, 2025 at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church.

In lieu of flowers Memorials may be given to Via Health Partner, Davidson, St. Albans’ Episcopal Church and the Pines Residents Fund.

James Victor Gudaitis (Jim), 73, of Durham, North Carolina, passed away peacefully on February 8, 2025 at Duke University Hospital with family members by his side, following a bone marrow transplant to treat lymphoma.

Jim was born November 27, 1951 in Birmingham, Michigan to William and Helen Gudaitis. Growing up, his family moved often between Michigan and Huntsville, Alabama. He attended Spring Hill College and obtained his bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and master’s degree from Temple University. Jim began his career in policy analysis and teaching, moved into higher education advancement at Duke University and Davidson College for most of his career, and, following his initial retirement, served as the executive director of Blakey Hall Retirement Community.

Together with Christy, his wife of 43 years, Jim was an adoring parent to their children, Margie and Peter, and loving grandparent to Rory and Harper. Jim was the eldest of nine children and, each Fourth of July, enjoyed gathering with his siblings, nieces, and nephews at the family reunion at Lake Guntersville in Alabama.

Jim was a man of deep faith. Early in his life, he served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. He was an active parishioner at St. Peter Catholic Church in Charlotte and then Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Durham. At Immaculate Conception, he was a eucharistic minister and devoted member of the Friends of Saint Francis, Lectio Divino, the Men’s Bible Study, the Green Team, and Meals for the Hungry. A further expression of his faith was walking the entire Camino de Santiago in 2017.

Living his faith, Jim dedicated himself to many charitable endeavors outside the church, especially those focusing on the incarcerated, the unhoused, and the hungry. In recent years, he served in the Prisoner Visitation and Support Program and ministered to individuals in jail and prison. He was a dedicated volunteer for Meals on Wheels Durham and the American Red Cross.

Jim will be remembered as an ardent environmentalist and supporter of renewable energies; as an outdoor enthusiast who loved hiking in the woods, camping, and kayaking, especially on the Eno and Flat Rivers; as an athlete who enjoyed many sports, and especially loved cycling and swimming; and as a good man and loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend, and colleague, who led with generosity and compassion.

Jim is survived by wife Christy; children Margie Gudaitis Hess (Taylor) and Peter Gudaitis (Claire O’Brien); grandchildren Rory and Harper Hess; siblings David Gudaitis (Jan), Susan Katrein (Marty), Richard Gudaitis (Sheryl), Annie Brasseale (Pete), Mary Garrett (John), Claire Myers (Danny), Nancy Farrand (Keith), and Tom Gudaitis (Kerry); and many beloved nieces and nephews.

The family wishes to extend their gratitude to the caregivers at the Duke Blood Cancer Center and the Duke Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Program for their care and support.

On Sunday, February 16, a visitation will take place from 2:30-5pm at Hall-Wynne Funeral Home, 1113 West Main Street, Durham. On Monday, February 17, a funeral mass will be held at 11am at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 810 West Chapel Street, Durham. Visitation at the church will start an hour before the mass and a reception will follow. All are welcome.

In lieu of flowers, and in honor of all the ways Jim generously shared his time and resources, please consider contributing to Catholic Relief Services, Meals on Wheels Durham, or a charity of your choice, or consider volunteering your time to feed vulnerable populations in your area.

Katherine Roddey Whitner McKay “Kat” Belk Cook, age 98, matriarch of a large and devoted family and a beloved Charlotte community volunteer, church leader, and philanthropist, died August 30, 2024.

Kat was born in Charlotte on August 16, 1926, to the late Dr. Hamilton Witherspoon McKay and Katherine Wylie Whitner McKay and attended Eastover Elementary School, Alexander Graham Junior High, Chatham Hall in Chatham, VA., and Smith College in Northampton, MA, where she received a bachelor’s degree in history. She spent her junior year at the University of California, Berkeley. Following graduation, Kat returned to Eastover Elementary as a physical education director and fifth-grade teacher.

She married Thomas M. “Tom” Belk, the youngest of six children of Mary Irwin Belk and William Henry Belk, on May 19,1953 in the Belk Chapel at Queens College. The two were married for 43 years until Tom’s death in 1997 at age 71.

Kat was inspired by her parents to make a positive difference in the social, civic, cultural, and religious life of the Charlotte community. As a teenager, she was a Candy Striper assisting patients at Charlotte Memorial Hospital, where her father practiced medicine. Later, she followed in her mother’s footsteps in her leadership and service to such organizations as the Charlotte Junior League and the Charlotte Symphony.

Myers Park Presbyterian Church held a special place in Kat’s heart and was an integral part of her life. She grew up in the church that her father helped found, and served in many leadership roles including Elder, Deacon, Sunday School teacher, and member of Women of the Church. Her close relationship with Myers Park ministers over the years was an important part of her life. Kat traveled to Malawi as a member of Myers Park’s first mission trip to that country.

Her love of gardening and friendship with Elizabeth and Eddie Clarkson led to a longtime involvement with Wing Haven Garden and Bird Sanctuary, where she helped establish a foundation to provide long-term financial support. She enjoyed growing and arranging flowers, and for several years operated a flower business, Party Pizazz, with her friend, Ruthie Dalton, specializing in arrangements for parties and weddings.

Kat also had a passion for the arts. She volunteered and took art classes at the Mint Museum, served on its board of trustees and advocated for a second museum site in uptown Charlotte.

Kat was also instrumental in establishing a new arts building and sculpture program at Davidson College. The Katherine and Tom Belk Visual Arts Center was dedicated in 1998 in their honor. Kat and Tom served on the college’s board of trustees for many years, as had both of their fathers. She was a strong supporter of the Charlotte Symphony and served on its board.

More recently, Kat’s volunteer efforts were focused on helping the homeless, and victims of human sex trafficking in Charlotte. She was a volunteer and counselor at Roof Above and supported its emergency program shelter on North Tryon Street for people who are homeless. Kat supported the Lily Pad Haven and the Charlotte Metropolitan Human Trafficking Task Force, which raises awareness of human trafficking in the Charlotte area and provides support for its victims.

The philanthropic efforts of Kat and her family have benefited many worthy education and charitable organizations and causes throughout North Carolina and beyond. She served on the board of directors of The Belk Foundation and was secretary and director of the Katherine and Thomas Belk Foundation, which joined with the John and Claudia Belk family to fund Belk Place in uptown Charlotte, a new meeting space for local non-profit civic organizations.

Kat’s life-her faith, generosity and service, energy and inquisitiveness– has been an inspiration and model to her family. She was intimately involved in the lives of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, who knew her affectionately as “Babe”.

She had a lifelong love of learning and actively pursued new interests and opportunities. Her grandchildren loved her story of taking flying lessons during college. In her later years she studied art. Each week she would spend hours playing bridge, sharpening her skills and mind.

Kat was also predeceased by her second husband, James Fielder Cook, whom she married in 2000. In her later life, Kat shared many wonderful years with her friend and loving companion Rufus Dalton.

Kat is survived by her daughter, Katherine Belk “Katie” Morris (Walker) of Charlotte; three sons, Thomas M. “Tim” Belk (Sarah) of Charlotte, H.W. McKay Belk (Nina) of Denver, CO, and John R. “Johnny” Belk (Kim) of Charlotte; sixteen grandchildren: Kate Morris Stanley (Trevor) of Washington, DC; Charlie Morris (Caton), Rebecca Morris Tanner (Ruffin), Adelaide Belk Martin (Jake), Thomas Belk III , Katherine Belk (Peyton Coles) of Charlotte, Molly Belk (James Temple) of Charlottesville, VA and Louisa Belk of New York; Cabell Belk of Brooklyn, NY; Whitner Belk Carlin (Greg) of Denver, McKay Belk, Jr. of Maine; Daniel Belk and Wilson Belk of Denver, Anna Belk Elliott (Dennis) of Charlotte; John R. “Rob” Belk Jr. (Elizabeth) of Greensboro; and Frances Rassieur (Tee) of St. Louis, MO; and twenty-one great grandchildren.

A celebration of the life of Kat Belk Cook will be held Friday, September 27 at 10:30am at Myers Park Presbyterian Church with the Reverend Joe Clifford officiating. A private burial will take place prior to the service. The family will receive friends immediately following the service in the church’s Oxford Hall.

Kat’s family thanks Jeanette Smith for the dedicated care and friendship she gave Kat over many years. Memorials may be made to the Charlotte Symphony, 128 S. Tryon Street, Suite 350, Charlotte, NC 28202, and Wing Haven Foundation, 248 Ridgewood Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28209.

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28204 (704) 641-7606. Online condolences can be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.

Thelma Cornelia Davidson Adair, a remarkable woman, educator, leader of the Presbyterian church, and tireless advocate for human rights, passed away peacefully on August 21, 2024, just shy of 104.

An indelible figure in the life, culture, and spirit of Harlem, often called the “Mother of Harlem” Thelma founded Mount Morris Presbyterian Church in 1943 alongside her husband, the Reverend Arthur Eugene Adair. Together, they shaped the spiritual and social landscape of their community, becoming key figures in the Civil Rights Movement. They also worked to establish the first children’s day care centers, and later Head Start programs, throughout Harlem, still existing to this day. Their wisdom, service, and compassion inspired generations.

Thelma was a true force within the Presbyterian Church, serving as the first African American woman moderator of the General Assembly for the United Presbyterian Church in 1976. She also served in the Peace Corps, creating and coordinating training programs around the world.

Thelma’s dedication to public service was an inspiration to all those who worked alongside her – yet her loved ones will remember her as the matriarch and foundation of a family rooted in love. Thelma constantly expressed deep pride in witnessing seven generations of her surviving family, and was the true embodiment of a life fulfilled.

A memorial service is planned for this fall at Riverside Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in “Memorial of Thelma Adair” to the Peace Corps, an organization close to Thelma’s heart – https://www.peacecorps.gov/donate/