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Jeremy Smith
Professor Raymond
UWRT 1101
Oct. 15th, 2014
The Wonders of Belk
As an incoming freshmen, we were informed that some of the buildings on campus were
currently being renovated to improve its functionality and use on campus. One of those buildings
is the Belk Gymnasium. Some students walk past the building everyday on the way to class and
just see it as another construction project around campus. As freshmen we wont get to utilize the
gym this current year but can/will in the future. What about Belk Gym makes it so common and
popular that the University decided to make necessary renovations on it when there are other
buildings around campus that are older and more worn down then the gym?
Belk Gymnasium was named after the late Mr. Thomas Milborn Belk and his wife Mrs.
Katherine Whitner McKay Belk. Mr. Thomas M. Belk was born February 25th, 1925 to the retail
pioneers, William Henry Belk and Mary Irwin Belk, of the Belk superstore. He attended
Davidson Collage but never finished there because he served in the US Navy from 1943-1946.
When he returned from serving, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
where he received a marketing degree in 1948. After graduating he worked for his father. Over
the next few years his brother and he turned the small discount store into a departmental store
that brought Belks to the attention of national fashion leaders.
Mr. Belk helped establish the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and remained a
major supporter and benefactor to its success while continuing to support his alma maters. He
bought and donated a part of land to the UNC Charlotte campus. He was a trustee for the

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Charlotte Community College System from 1958-1965. He served on the UNC Charlotte Board
of Trustees and was the chairman of the board from 1975-1985. He returned a few years later as
a student of UNC Charlotte and received his doctorate in public service.4 He died on Jan. 25th,
1997. He was inducted into the NC Business Hall of Fame the following year(NC Business Hall
of Fame).1 His wife, Kathrine Whitner McKay Belk, attended Smith College in 1948 where she
earned her degree(Habina).2 On May 19th, 1952, she married her late husband Thomas M. Belk.
She taught in the Charlotte public schools and was a member of the Board of Trustees at
Davidson College and St. Andrews College. She is still living to this day (NC Business Hall of
Fame).1
Belk Gymnasium was built in 1970 by F.N. Thompson, Inc. The 130,103 ft2 gym cost
3.28 million dollars (Special Collections).4 The gym was originally built for the couple of
hundred students that attended the University at that time. Belk Gymnasium was once the main
and only place that students and varsity sport athletes used host to their competitions and
recreational games. Belk Gymnasium, also known as The Mineshaft, housed the recreational
department offices and kinesiology department offices and kinesiology classrooms. Belk
Gymnasium has long been a desired destination for students wishing to play pick-up basketball,
fitness classes, and swimming. The director of Recreational Services, Mr. Jim Walczyk, and his
staff predict that about a third of its intermural activities were held in the gymnasium.
Despite the popularity of Belk Gymnasium, the gym was unfit to accommodate the
current growing student population from when it was originally built. Although it has been past
due for the renovation of gym, the director says that the staff feel as if even after the renovation it

1. North Carolina Business Hall of Fame. Laurete, 2003

2. Joe Habina. 49ers insider Belk Gym renovationsCharlotte Observer, 2014
3. Jim Walczyk. Personal interview. 2014
4. Madeleine Perex. Special Collections. Email, 2014

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still wont be big enough. The director plans to try and fit all students in the renovated gym at
least one event of the numerous that they host. The director said, [The new gym] will take so
much pressure off (Walczyk).3
The new Belk Gymnasium will provide the students with a lot more options and space for
what they would like to do and security. The gyms entrance will look different and provide more
security since in the past they found it hard to staff it 24/7. Not only will the new gymnasium be
for recreational use but also will feature a commons area for congregating and studying. Director
Jim Walczyk says that the Recreational Department has a big challenge to provide the student
body with an atmosphere that they would enjoy (Walczyk).3 Students who are active have better
grades and better attitudes and thats what they want to create. A healthy and active student body
that translates into the classroom as well (Habina).2

1. North Carolina Business Hall of Fame. Laurete, 2003

2. Joe Habina. 49ers insider Belk Gym renovationsCharlotte Observer, 2014
3. Jim Walczyk. Personal interview. 2014
4. Madeleine Perex. Special Collections. Email, 2014

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Works Cited
Habina, Joe. 49ers insider Belk Gym renovations made to better serve the students Project to be
complete by fall 2015. Charlotte Observer. 6 July 2014. http://infoweb.newsbank.com.html
Web. 28 Sep. 2014
North Carolina Business Hall of Fame. Laureate. 2003. http://www.historync.org/laureate%20%20Tom%20Belk.html Web. 14 Oct. 2014
Perez, Madeleine. On behalf of Special Collections. Message to Jeremy Smith. 29 Sep. 2014.
E-mail.
Walczyk, Jim. Personal interview. 8 Oct. 2014