The Charlotte region and the Carolina Theatre lost a community trailblazer, philanthropic leader, consummate volunteer, champion of the arts and matriarch of the Belk family when Katherine “Kat” Roddey Whitner Belk passed away in August at the age of 98.

Born in Charlotte, Belk married Thomas M. “Tom” Belk in 1953. The couple remained married until his death in 1997 at 71-years-old. She is survived by four children – a daughter and three sons – 16 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.

Trained as a teacher, countless students at Eastover Elementary fondly remember Kat as a mentor. She was a believer in the link between volunteerism and philanthropy, serving as president of the Junior League, devoting time to the Mint Museum and volunteering for her beloved Crisis Assistance Ministry. A philanthropist in her own right, she endowed the principal cello chair of the Charlotte Symphony in her mother’s name.

In 2014, Kat and Tom Belk, along with the late Claudia Belk and the late John M. Belk, donated $8 million to support the renovation of the Carolina Theatre. The campus that houses the theatre will be called Belk Place in their honor.