Von Autry Jr.

Von Autry, Jr., 87, widower of Frances Hensdale Autry, died Sunday, January 10, 2010. He was a resident of Carolina Inn. He was born in Fayetteville on November 29, 1922, and was the son of Pheoria and Von Autry of Fayetteville. As a Fayetteville native, Von Autry, Jr., first began working during his teens at a gas station. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps after high school and graduated from the Aviation Cadet Program as a commissioned officer. He served his country honorably as a pilot in WWII. He was part of the 12th Air Force, serving in Italy and flying photo reconnaissance over Europe, earning his wings in 1944. At the end of the war he enrolled at North Carolina State University, and received his BS degree in mechanical engineering with honors in 1949. While there he was elected to membership in several honor fraternities, including Phi Kapp Phi and Tau Beta Pi, national scholastic and honor societies.
In 1949, he started working as a management trainee for his father-in-law, J.W. Hensdale, at Belk in downtown Fayetteville. Autry worked on a trial basis to see if he would like retail better than engineering. He retired from Belk in 1990 after 40 years of service. During that time he made invaluable contributions to the growth and success of the Belk organization through his leadership and business skills, working his way from a trainee to assistant store manager in 1951. In 1966, he became group coordinator of the Belk Hensdale stores. In 1968, he was elected executive vice president and secretary/treasurer and then became supervising partner in 1972. Under his leadership the Belk Hensdale Group grew to include 17 stores and two service and distribution centers in North Carolina, beginning one; of the company's most successful groups. He was assisted at Belk and in his retirement by Randa Dunn.
Autry served on the board of directors of Belk Stores Services, Inc., and provided leadership on numerous Belk Stores Services committees during his career. He served as chairman of the Merchandising Managers' Convention, Special Projects and Pension Committees, as vice chairman of the Employee Benefits Committee and as a member of the 100th Anniversary Steering Committee.
Mr. Autry was a strong and successful leader, giving unselfishly of his time and talents to help numerous business organizations, including helping organize the Downtown Fayetteville Association, serving as its president and as chairman of several of its committees. He was a past chairman of the Fayetteville Merchants Association, and past president of the Fayetteville Rotary Club. He was a past chairman of North Carolina National Bank's city board of directors in Fayetteville.
He distinguished himself by serving many civic organizations as a member of the United Fund, Salvation Army Building Fund, the Methodist College board of directors, the Army Advisory Committee which was a joint effort between Ft. Bragg and the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, the Fayetteville Area Industrial Development Corporation, a patron of the Fayetteville Museum of Art, member of the North Carolina Citizens Association, member of the Fayetteville Area Economic Development Corp., and was a loyal member of the Newcomers Society, Masons and Shriners and was a past recipient of Methodist College's Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Autry was a prominent fund raiser, serving on drives for the Methodist University Fund in Fayetteville, the United Fund, the Salvation Army Building Fund, and other community-improvement drives.
He was an active member of the Highland Country Club, the Fort Bragg Officers' Club, the Cumberland Wolfpack Club, the NC State Wolfpack Club, the Cotillion Club, and after his retirement being one of the organizers of the Autry's Golfing Elders (A.G.E.) a group that numbered over 80 members of golfing buddies who played golf every week at different golf courses.
He had served his church, Haymount Methodist Church
as chairman of its Official Board, its Commission on Finance, its Board o£ Trustees and its "Every Member Visitation" committee and as church treasurer and member of the Board of Stewards. His philosophy was ''My, what a fantastic time to be alive'' taken from a quote from ''Megatredns 2000'' by John Naisbitt. The career achievement of which he is most proud is the role he played in helping young people reach their goals, expecting the best for himself and others.
He was loved by his son, Craig and his wife, Lisa Autry their sons, Brooks and Taylor; his daughter, Kay and husband, the Reverend Canon Philip Purser, their son, David and wife, Shannan Purser and their daughter, Lainey; their daughter, Mary Hampton and husband, Josh Lovekamp and their children, Ben, Kate, and Will; his sister, Margie Crumbley; his sister-in-law, Dorothy Hensdale Gardner; and brother-in-law, Dick Hensdale and his wife, Raye. He is also lovingly survived by many nieces and nephews. He will also be missed by his faithful, friends and caretakers, Kelly and Kenny Canty and the staff at Carolina Inn.
Visitation will be Tuesday from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home.
Service will be 2:00 p.m. Wednesday at Haymount United Methodist Church, Rev. Woody Wells officiating. Entombment will follow at Lafayette Memorial Park Mausoleum.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Hensdale Scholarship Fund, c/o Methodist University, Office of Development, 5400 Ramey Street, Fayetteville, NC 28311, or to Haymount United Methodist Church Building Fund, 1700 Ft. Bragg Road, Fayetteville, NC 28303.