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Family Dollar founder left his mark, and his name, all over Charlotte
by Tony Mecia
Leon Levine, the founder of the Family Dollar chain and a philanthropist whose name is on several major Charlotte institutions, died today at age 85.
Contributions from Levine and his wife, Sandra, helped build or improve a wide range of Charlotte healthcare and cultural organizations, including:
Atrium Health’s Levine Children’s Hospital and Levine Cancer Institute
The Levine Museum of the New South
The Levine Scholars program at UNC Charlotte
The Levine Center at Charlotte Country Day School
The Levine Center for the Arts uptown
Levine was a member of a Charlotte family well-known for its businesses and philanthropy. He was one of three brothers who started stores near each other on Central Avenue in Plaza-Midwood in the 1950s.
He started Family Dollar. His brother Alvin opened Pic ‘n Pay Shoe, and his brother Sherman opened a clothing store.
Third-largest Charlotte foundation: Family Dollar blossomed and turned into a Fortune 500 company based in Matthews. Levine retired from Family Dollar in 2003 and founded The Leon Levine Foundation. The foundation is the third-largest Charlotte-area foundation by total assets, with nearly $600M, behind The Duke Endowment and Foundation for the Carolinas, according to the Charlotte Business Journal’s Book of Lists.
Levine told the Charlotte Business Journal in 2009 that he planned “leave the bulk of his wealth to the foundation at his death, a bequest he says could make the foundation at least several times its current size.”
For a more thorough assessment of Levine and his legacy, check out this article in The Charlotte Observer. It is a nice remembrance of a man who leaves a profound influence on Charlotte.
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Contributing photographer/videographer: Kevin Young, The 5 and 2 Project