A powerful legacy

Home / A powerful legacy

With the new Claudia W. & John M. Belk Heart and Vascular Institute, Charlotte’s power couple has continued a generations-long commitment to remarkable care

For decades, Claudia W. and John M. Belk were Charlotte’s power couple.

Claudia was a pioneer in the law — one of the first women to graduate from UNC’s law school in 1963 and, in 1968, one of the first women elected to public office in Mecklenburg County, when she became a district judge.

John turned the family business into the nation’s largest, privately held department store. He was elected mayor of Charlotte in 1969 and served four terms. He always referred to that time as one of his most important roles — one that allowed him to continue the Belk family’s commitment to serving the community.

Claudia shared that commitment, and together, they became the couple that made Charlotte a better, more equitable place. Although they have now passed away, their legacy lives on in the philanthropic projects they championed across the community. This fall, one of those projects came to life: the Claudia W. & John M. Belk Heart and Vascular Institute, which shares a brand new facility near Charlotte’s center city with the Agnes B. & Edward I Weisiger Cancer Institute.

“The Agnes B. & Edward I. Weisiger Cancer Institute and Claudia W. & John M. Belk Heart and Vascular Institute sits at the intersection of where community and multidisciplinary healthcare come together to heal patients from the inside out,” said MC Belk Pilon, daughter of Claudia and John and now president and board chair of the John M. Belk Endowment. “Novant Health’s approach of centering patients and families in all that they do will ensure that our community members’ most pressing medical needs will receive the expert attention and treatment that they deserve.”

Claudia and John contributed $10 million toward the construction of the new Heart and Vascular Institute, a comprehensive outpatient facility. The gift builds on a vision that began years ago when the couple funded The Belk Heart Center at Presbyterian Medical Center, and it marks the latest act of generosity in a philanthropic relationship that goes back generations. As John said during a speech at Presbyterian Medical Center’s centennial celebration in 2003: “I love to tell the story of the hospital. Presbyterian Hospital has been part of the very lifeblood of my family. I literally grew up on the site that is now the hospital campus, and it has been a great joy to watch Presbyterian grow and evolve over the years into one of the largest and most respected healthcare institutions in the Carolinas.”

John did indeed grow up with Presbyterian Medical Center in his backyard. His father, William, helped secure 10 acres of land for the hospital back in 1917. Then, in 1924, William built a home on Hawthorne Lane, adjacent to the hospital’s main building. Years later, William’s wife, Mary, willed the house to Presbyterian Medical Center. To this day, it remains part of the hospital’s campus, affectionately referred to as The Belk House.

As Claudia and John established themselves in their own causes and careers, they maintained a commitment to Presbyterian Medical Center. Claudia served on the board of the hospital, and John served as a trustee. He also helped establish what is now Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center Foundation and served as a member of the foundation’s board of directors for years. In those roles, they helped provide seed support to the Buddy Kemp Cancer Support Center and lead various capital campaigns. Now, their son-in-law, Jeff Pilon, is helping to carry the torch, serving on the board of Presbyterian Medical Center Foundation.

Indeed, Charlotte’s power couple has left a strong legacy, one that will ensure remarkable care for our entire community now and in the years to come.