CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A former Charlotte CEO and longtime philanthropist has passed away.
The death of Barksdale "Dale" Fowler Halton was announced by the Kenneth W. Poe Funeral and Cremation Service on Tuesday, March 21. She was 85.
As of writing, arrangements are still pending.
Business North Carolina's profile of Halton in June 2022 dove into her time as Pepsi-Cola Bottling of Charlotte's leader in 1981. At the time, female CEOs were rare, and she worked to pull the family business out of insolvency. She continued to lead the company founded by her grandparents until 2005 when Pepsi Bottling Group bought her business. Her group was, at the time, the ninth-largest Pepsi bottler in the United States.
However, Business North Carolina noted Halton branded herself as a fierce supporter of the underdog, eschewing the country club for a lunch group with friends at her home in the Myers Park neighborhood. She recounted a time to the magazine she said she fought for her family business after taking the helm.
"Pepsi sent two of its lawyers down and met with my lawyer and myself," she said. "They threatened to take the franchise away because I was female. I said, ‘Come on down to my courts, and we’ll work it out.’ They never did. A few years later, we were one of the top-performing bottlers."
Halton was fondly remembered in a story posted by the Charlotte 49ers on Wednesday. The 49ers said she served UNC Charlotte both directly and indirectly as a generous benefactor to the university. Her generosity saw the naming of the Dale F. Halton Arena on campus after her, which hosts home basketball and volleyball games for the 49ers. Her namesake also lives on in the Dale Halton Reading Room on the university library's main floor, and the Halton-Wagner Tennis Complex (which shares a name with her husband, Fred Wagner).
Beyond her namesake on campus, Halton's contributions also ensured the existence of the Judy W. Rose Football Center and the Charles Hayward Memorial Practice gym.
The 49ers note her interest in UNC Charlotte was sparked by a professional kinship with Judy Rose, a former director of athletics. That friendship - which the 49ers said was equally notable as both women stood out in traditionally male-dominated fields - sparked Halton's interest in supporting the university.
"Dale has always embraced and supported underdogs," said Rose. "She saw potential in organizations and the people leading them. She adopted our University and was 'all in.' What started as a professional relationship developed into a personal friendship; her legacy will last forever."
"Dale Halton was one of the first people I met when I joined UNC Charlotte," said Charlotte Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber. "What I quickly saw was her enormous love for Niner Nation, especially for our students. Dale demonstrated her love, not just through her generous support, but also through her leadership, advocacy and close friendship. For that, we are eternally grateful. Her immeasurable impact will be felt forever on our campus, by our students and throughout our entire community."
Halton was inducted into the inaugural class of the 49ers Hall of Fame in 2020, with her contributions to the university lauded as part of her induction. She served on the university's board of trustees, the 49ers Athletic Foundation Board, and the UNC Charlotte Foundation Board. She received an honorary degree in 1998, and before that won a UNC Charlotte Alumni Award in 1994.
The 49ers highlighted the fact that Halton held season tickets for men's basketball for 37 years and held a football FSL license since the program's inception.