Clay Stanley Andrews

July 22, 1956 – September 7, 2024

The event of Clay Stanley Andrews’ birth happened on an 87-degree day in Atlanta, GA on July 22, 1956, with nary a cloud in the sky. His father Archie Willie Andrews and mother Louise Stanley Andrews were delighted at his arrival, but no one was more delighted than his sister Arden Louise, nearly three when Clay was born. She was “happy go lucky” to have a baby brother!

The family moved to Raleigh, NC, for Archie’s new job when Clay was four. From then on, Clay called North Carolina home.

Picture a 5-year-old Clay in short pants on his way to his first day of school at White Memorial Presbyterian church kindergarten, then onto Myrtle Underwood Elementary School where he began to show signs of artistic talent. To foster his early proclivities his parents sent him and his sister to art classes for children at North Carolina State University (although Arden insists that she was just his chaperone.)

His very first creative partner was his mother, Louise. They painted pocketbooks and wooden Christmas tree ornaments for friends and family plus all the accoutrements for his mother's junior kindergarten which she ran out of their home. In fact, friends recall Clay saying he created a small cottage industry by selling decoupaged pocketbooks to Louise's friends.

A story Clay liked to tell is once, when his parents left him at home by himself, he took the opportunity to practice his newly acquired calligraphy skills on the family hearth. The middle-schooler wrote “God Bless this House” in Germanic Gothic script on the mantel, much to his parent’s surprise. This was the type of child he was. Some children scribble on the walls; Clay created works of art.

When he was twelve, he entered the Soap Box Derby and came in second place. One can imagine that his was the best-looking car in the race (if only the second fastest.)

He attended Leroy Martin Junior High and Sanderson High School where he played alto saxophone in the band and was a member of the Cubs and Boy Scouts. Clay and his father Archie would sometimes “camp out” overnight in the treehouse his dad had built in their backyard.

Clay loved being part of the action. All the local neighborhood children convened in their driveway, playing basketball and shuffleboard, showing up with bikes, stilts, skateboards, and roller skates, and Clay would be in the center of it all on his Irish Mail Cart (a.k.a. The Toy for Healthy Little Bodies).

He graduated in 1974 and was accepted at East Carolina University, receiving a B.F.A in design in 1978. Because of his formidable talent his professors encouraged him to move to New York to work in the graphic arts industry, but Clay chose to move to Charlotte, NC, instead — and the city is richer for it.

Clay built one of the most successful and influential advertising agencies in the city. With his partners Steve Luquire and Tom George (in Clay’s Dilworth kitchen nonetheless), they built Luquire George Andrews, or LGA, a business that was instrumental in the growth of Charlotte. In his role as executive creative director, Clay led the agency in the creative development of clients including NCAA Final Four, Carolina Panthers, BB&T (now Truist), Novant Health, and many, many more. He also had a profound influence on the city and beyond through the pro bono design work he did for various non-profits including the Arts & Science Council, Metrolina AIDS Project, CONTEXT (on Central Ave), Human Rights Campaign, and others.

But what survives from his time in advertising is not the ads, billboards or tv commercials. Instead, it’s the careers of his mentees. He launched, nurtured and mentored new writers, designers, art directors and photographers. He was the consummate champion for “creatives.”

His LGA colleagues remember him fondly. From his Facebook memorial, former employees said, “his creative spirit lives on through everyone he touched throughout his life,” “he was a true original,” and “so many laughs and such a creative inspiration for me. A brilliant artist and sweet soul.”

His passion was for beauty, and his eye was unmatched. He was active in establishing the Tryon Center for Art (now, McColl Center), served on their inaugural board, and created their unique and cutting-edge branding. The Center now hosts an internationally acclaimed residency program for rising artists to take risks and explore their creativity in a beautifully renovated former stone church.

After a massive renovation and redesign of his beloved home Chestnut Manor in Plaza Midwood and an early retirement from the agency he founded, Clay flourished in a second career as an interior designer, beautifying the homes of many with curated antiques, ingenious layering, and of course, his distinctive style.

Clay was also — in a word — fun. When he and all his buddies began to turn 40, Clay channeled his creativity to throw the Best Parties Ever. When it was his fortieth, his friends planned a surprise trip to Asheville. They rented a bus and hung a banner on the side that read “I Shot Clay Andrews’ World Tour 1996” and wore matching t-shirts. When they arrived at the hotel even the marquee announced that the Clay Andrews World Tour was staying under their roof. Another hotel visitor was overheard in the lobby saying, “Who the hell is Clay Andrews?”

We’ll tell you who he was. He was sharp, funny and wicked. He was kind, charming and occasionally silly. He was forever everyone’s sweet little brother with artistic gifts too fabulous to keep to himself.

He is survived by his sister Arden Andrews Tulip and his brother-in-law Alan Tulip of Winchester, England, and her children, Laura Stewart of Bradninch, Devon, England; Andrew Stewart of Sydney, Australia; Katherine Statham of Eastleigh, England; and their children Fenella, Anja, Lyra, Orson, Maxim, and Charlotte.

When conversations would get too tense or serious, Clay was known to say, “now let’s talk pretty.” We hope you’ll share your fond memories of Clay with us.