Bonnie Ethel Cone - The New Campus

The New Campus

In 1957, after surveying sites in all parts of the county, Charlotte College trustees purchased land at N.C. Highway 49 and U.S. Highway 29, adjacent to the County Home, about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of midtown Charlotte, easily accessible to local students as well those from surrounding counties. If Charlotte was to win state support for a college or university, the campus would have to serve more than Mecklenburg County, she argued.

Before there were any buildings on the campus, Miss Cone invited students and faculty to a picnic on the grounds. When it looked like rain, she moved the picnic, with red and white gingham table clothes and napkins, into an abandoned dairy barn that stood on the property. They ate, sang songs, and spoke of their dreams for the new school. It was the first event on the new campus.

In 1961, after passage of a local bond issue, Miss Bonnie led the College's move into two new buildings on what later became a 1,000-acre (4.0 km2) site, thanks to Mecklenburg County's gift of land that had been the County Home farm and gifts from numerous individuals, including department store executive Tom Belk. North Carolina Gov. Terry Sanford spoke at the dedication of the first two buildings. The new campus stimulated other development around the university, including a housing subdivision called University Downs. Bonnie Cone purchased a home there and opened it often to students, faculty, prospective faculty, and alumni.