James "Slug" Claiborne

“Slug”

Mr. Claiborne, age 79 of Charlotte, NC died peacefully at home on March 2, 2012.

He is survived by his wife of 58 years, the former Jo Ann Bailey, by two daughters, Priscilla Claiborne and her husband James MacIntyre of Charlotte and Patricia Long and her husband Bob of The Woodlands, TX; by one son, James W. "Clay" Claiborne, Jr. and his wife Elaine of Charlotte; by seven grandchildren: Rachel Ross of Charlotte, Bonnie MacIntyre Skinner and her husband Bryan of Georgetown, KY, Travis Porter of Ft. Myers, FL, Bailey Porter of Orlando, FL, and McCrea, Carter and Davis Claiborne, all of Charlotte, and by one great-granddaughter, Harper Elizabeth Skinner of Georgetown, KY. He is also survived by two siblings: Anne C. Overcash of Monroe, NC, and Jack Claiborne and his wife Anne Marie of Charlotte.

Born in Newell, NC on October 13, 1932, he was the youngest of six children of Henry G. and Minnie H. Claiborne. Following his father’s death in 1936, his family moved to the Central High neighborhood in Charlotte. An open-faced, big-hearted kid with an infectious grin and engaging manner, he never met a stranger. He got the nickname “Slug” from Central High athletes with whom he often went to afternoon practice after his morning studies at Elizabeth Elementary School. He was president of his high school class and also served as president of the Central High student body. He won an academic scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In June of 1953 he married Jo Ann Bailey, his high school sweetheart. In 1955 he earned a degree in business administration and began three years’ service in the Air Force. In anticipation of his discharge, he was accepted for law school at UNC-Chapel Hill but before he could enroll, his father-in-law, cafeteria operator W.W. Bailey, suffered a heart attack and sought Slug’s help in operating his cafeteria chain.

In 1961, after his father-in-law’s recovery, he decided to open his own cafeteria, The Barclay, at Amity Gardens Shopping Center on Independence Boulevard. In 1970, he expanded into the upscale restaurant business with Slug’s Rib on Independence Boulevard; in the years that followed he opened more establishments in Charlotte, as well as Myrtle Beach, Winston-Salem, Chapel Hill and Litchfield Beach. His showplace was Slug’s 30th Edition on the top floor of the Jefferson-First Union Tower at College and Third Streets.

He was a leader in the Charlotte and North Carolina Restaurant Associations, and in 1975 was selected as the NC Restaurateur of the Year. In addition to his restaurant business, Slug was a busy promoter of Charlotte and Charlotte-area athletics.

Thousands of people counted "Slugger" as one of their friends, but Slug would be the first to tell you that his world revolved around his family and that of all his titles he was happiest to be just “Da,” the nickname given him by his grandchildren. Until his health prevented the trip, he relished the family’s annual reunion at the beach where his children and grandchildren gathered and where the bonds that the Claiborne clan enjoys were renewed and strengthened. Jo Ann was the love of his life and, until his last days, he told her many times every day how much he loved her and thanked her for their life together. At the end of his life he often proclaimed that he was “the luckiest man in the world.”

Visitation will be held from 6 until 8 p.m. on Monday evening, March 5th, 2012 at Harry & Bryant Company. A service to celebrate his life will be held at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 6th at Sardis Presbyterian Church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Sardis Mission House, Sardis Presbyterian Church, 6100 Sardis Road, Charlotte, NC 28270 or Loaves and Fishes, P.O. Box 11234, Charlotte, NC 28220.