Bill Gallagher, Superior School of Real Estate

President/Owner

bgallagher@superiorschoolnc.com

www.superiorschoolnc.com

Growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina was wonderful and is great to live and work in Charlotte.  I was born on February 25, 1962, at Charlotte Memorial Hospital, now known as CMC.  My mom and dad, Clarence and Lib Gallagher, brought me home to 1425 Havencrest Drive located in the Cotswold area.  Living on a dead-end street with lots of trees, wonderful neighbors, and convenience to "everything", allowed me to grow up with some many wonderful advantages as a child.  Since my mom taught junior high school math and my dad sold electric motors, my grandmother and grandfather kept me during the day at 1726 The Plaza located in the Plaza/Midwood Neighbhorhood.  I had the  "best of life" living in Plaza/Midwood as well as Cotswold.

During the day, I attended preschool at Myers Park Presbyterian Church.  I had loving and wonderful teachers who I remember as  "Andy Sanders", "Mrs. Crump", and "Betty McLaney" and a wonderful School Director "Betty Ruth Barker".  After attending preschool for a half day, my grandmother, Myrtle Gallagher, would take me sometime to lunch at the Diamond Restaurant on Pecan Avenue for "country style steak and gravy" or to Eckerd Drug Store for a "hot dog with the best chili" and Coke with the sugar syrup.  After lunch, I would take a nap with my grandfather, Clarence Gallagher, Sr.  After a nap, we would walk up and down the beautiful Plaza to the grocery store or drug store.  Also, I would always love to see the city buses travel up and down the Plaza.  My grandmother would also let me ride the bus with her for fun.  I always remember it was route "#10 Plaza and West Blvd."  In addition, my grandparents would take me to Mint Hill to have a picnic on the land they owned and to visit relatives and close friends. 

At night and on the weekends, I loved to play in my yard and on my dead end street. On the weekends, we would go visit my grandparents in Chester, S.C.,  William and Bessie Carpenter, who owned a farm with over 200 cows being milked twice a day.  I loved going to the country to see the cows and chickens and to ride in the Sealtest Milk Truck.  As a city person, I loved to see the country.  My grandfather wanted me to have a dog for Christmas and brought me a little black and white spotted beautiful terrier named "Spottie".  Also, my grandfather brought me a chicken that I would keep on some land my parents owned off Providence Road near Rea Road.  The chicken could not stay in Charlotte and had to go back to Chester because of neighbors complaining.

My first elementary school was Rama Road for grades 1 and 2 with wonderful teachers Mary Martin and Jane Winecoff and a super principal, Bernice McMurray.   I was transferred to Cotswold Elementary School for grades 4-6 and had super teachers Mildred Brinkley, Jean Rollins, Betty Wells, Elaine Davis, and a great principal Harold Beaver.  Cotswold Elementary was so close to my home,  my mom, who taught at Randolph Middle School, took me to school each day down Linda Lane. I attended Randolph Middle School and experienced great teachers and administrative staff as well as West Charlotte High School.  I graduated from West Charlotte in 1980 and then attended and graduated from Wake Forest University in three years.

My Wake Forest days were wonderful.  I believe that I had gained so much by living in Charlotte and experiencing life in Cotswold and The Plaza  as well as visiting relatives in Chester, SC.  We are so fortunate in Charlotte to have nice neighborhoods so conveniently located.  I know were are preserving trees and concentrating on the "green" concept. I think these steps are critical to preserving the great life in Charlotte.