William LeGette Blythe made his name as one of the most respected journalists and versatile authors of Mecklenburg County. He worked for The Charlotte News and The Charlotte Observer as a journalist before starting to write his own award-winning books. Blythe was inducted into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame in 2002. Blythe's childhood home on Gilead Road was located just a few hundred yards away from his adult home. Blythe Elementary school is named in his honor.