Mary Lou Babb
If your great-grandchildren were to tell your story one day, what part would you hope they tell with a smile?
“I don’t have any grands yet, and they will not know how lucky I have been, but I hope they will smile when their parents will tell them how much their Great Grandmother and Great
Grandfather loved being a part of the growth of our city and participated in many fundraisers, galas, startups and politics. We hope we have passed the spark along the way.”
- Mary Lou Babb
Dr. John T. Crawford
What have you learned about forgiveness – either yourself or others – that has helped you keep moving forward and become resilient?
“What I have come to learn about forgiveness is that it’s not a one-time act –it’s a daily surrender. It’s choosing peace over pride, grace over grudges. Forgiveness doesn’t mean what happened was okay; it means I’m done letting it own my space.”
- Dr. John T. Crawford
“For me, it’s about learning to walk lighter – to let God handle justice while I handle healing. Because every time I release someone, I realize I’m really releasing me. It’s a practice that’s made me more compassionate, more patient, and honestly, more human.”
- Dr. John T. Crawford
“When I ask God to help me forgive, He doesn’t erase the memory – He transforms the meaning. The pain becomes a teacher. The anger becomes fuel for growth. And the peace that follows…that’s freedom you can feel in your bones.”
- Dr. John T. Crawford
Dr. Boyd H. Davis
What is something you have learned recently, in this chapter of life, that surprised you about yourself or the world?
“I have learned two things recently and found added emphasis on the third: First, I find that I must teach myself how to be old, and it is difficult to do. Next, by slowing down, I am able to more deeply appreciate smaller things such as a sudden smile or two tiny wildflowers popping up in the grass. Most important to me is the joy of family and friends which is even deeper now.”
- Dr. Boyd H. Davis
Harvey B. Gantt
What is a dream you did not get to chase that you hope someone else will?
“ I have had the blessing and good fortune to have realized most of my lifetime dreams,and seeing them come to fruition. But an unrealized dream was to have become a political leader who saw his constituency in the sense of Christ’s definition of “ who is my Neighbor?”
- Harvey B. Gantt
“That is, to be a policymaker who could bring people together across party lines, to build community, to care for the least among us, and to encourage freedom and opportunity for all to be the best that they can be.”
- Harvey B. Gantt
“I see signs today of fresh new leaders who may have yet the opportunity to bring us to this deeper understanding of seeing their constituents as “ neighbors”, and not as members of one or the other political party.”
- Harvey B. Gantt
Caroline Love Myers
How has time changed how you view the hardest part of your life journey?
“Crisis Assistance Ministry began in 1975 with financial support and volunteers from the faith community. Ten years later, CAM was overwhelmed by the emergency needs of people in a growing city and county.”
- Caroline Love Myers
“A United Way study and the Chapel Hill consultant advised CAM to become a public/private partnership with operational support from United Way and the county. They also advised the county to provide an adequate facility. The CAM board worried about losing support from the faith community in this new partnership. ”
- Caroline Love Myers
“Now, 40 years later, the public support that began in the 1985 partnership has not grown in proportion to the growth of Charlotte Mecklenburg and its people. As a result, CAM has been put in a position of having to raise support from the faith community and individuals.”
- Caroline Love Myers
“By and large, the hardest part of the CAM mission has been keeping up with the increased needs and our mission to serve the emergency needs of our neighbors.”
- Caroline Love Myers
Sally Robinson
Your life story is still being written at age 80+.
What
is the title of your current chapter and why?
“The title of the chapter is, Learning to Live Without Russ.
Two months ago, I lost Russ, my husband of 72 years. Over the next months, I will need to explore through prayer and contemplation how to live without his actual presence. With the help of our church, our children, and our many loving friends, I will see it through.”
- Sally Robinson
Charles Squires
If the next generation could walk a mile in your story, what moment would you want them to experience and why?
“If the next generation could walk a mile in my story, I would want them to experience the moments I shared while serving as President of the St. Augustine Recollect Society, visiting patients in the hospital as they awaited surgery.”
- Charles Squires
“In those quiet, uncertain hours,
fear
often
filled the room—fear of the unknown, of outcomes beyond one’s control. My role was to bring comfort, hope, and faith into that space. I would tell them, ‘Keep the faith. Everything will be okay. Trust in the Lord—He has brought you to it, and He will bring you through it. Let us pray.’”
- Charles Squires
“Those experiences taught me that true service is not measured by grand gestures, but by our ability to show up for others with compassion and unwavering belief.”
- Charles Squires
Hugh McColl, Jr.