Days after son dies, NC businessman, philanthropist Wayland Cato Jr. dies at age 100

Chase Jordan
·3 min read
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Wayland Cato Jr. was a successful entrepreneur in the world of fashion with a lot of stores bearing his family’s name. But the Cato name is also etched on college buildings around Charlotte because of his passion for education.

Family, friends and colleagues are now mourning his passing. Cato died this weekend at age 100, according to Queens University of Charlotte, where he was instrumental in starting the Cato School of Education. The university also provided details about his life.

Cato was the co-founder of Cato Corp., a Charlotte-based women’s clothing business with stores across the U.S.

His death occurred several days after his son Wayland Cato III died on Oct. 31 at the age of 75. The younger Cato was an award-winning glass and crystal artist.

The elder Cato was born in Ridge Spring, S.C. on March 23, 1923. After graduating from The Academy of Richmond County in Augusta, Ga., where he was later inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame, Cato earned a degree from UNC Chapel Hill. Cato joined the military after college in 1944, serving in the U.S. Navy for a couple of years during World War II.

Wayland Cato Jr., co-founder of a namesake clothing company, died at age 100
Wayland Cato Jr., co-founder of a namesake clothing company, died at age 100

When he came back home, Cato started a women’s clothing store in 1946 with his father, Wayland Sr., and brother, Edgar.

It began with several stores in South Carolina before they relocated to Charlotte, which is now its headquarters. The Cato Corporation now has 10,000 employees in its 1,300 stores, distribution center and corporate offices.

Cato held many positions in the company, including president, chairman and CEO. He retired from leadership positions in 2003, according to History.NC.org’s report about Cato being a laureate for the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame.

Cato Corp., headquartered off South Boulevard in south Charlotte, operates about 1,370 stores in 33 states. Co-founder Wayland Cato Jr. recently died at the age of 100.
Cato Corp., headquartered off South Boulevard in south Charlotte, operates about 1,370 stores in 33 states. Co-founder Wayland Cato Jr. recently died at the age of 100.

Supporting education around Charlotte

Cato was a long-time advocate for education. In addition to the education school at Queens University, he also was involved with the Wayland H. Cato Jr. School of Education Endowed Scholarship and North Carolina Teaching Fellows Endowment Fund.

Cato also endowed the Wayland H. Cato Jr. Chair of Leadership at Queens’ McColl School of Business.

Jeremiah Wills, dean of The Cato School of Education, said Cato influenced the lives of countless students at the university. “His enduring legacy will continue to inspire future generations of students pursuing careers in education,” Wills said in a news release.

Queens University President Dan Lugo said the institution extended its sympathies to the Cato family for the loss of Cato and his son. “The Cato family’s contributions to Queens have been profound and far-reaching,” Lugo stated in the news release, “and we are grateful for their extraordinary generosity towards our university and the broader educational landscape.”

UNC Charlotte named a building after Cato in 2004 for his contributions to education. Cato Hall houses the undergraduate admissions, graduate school and other services for students and employees. In 2016, the university’s Cato College of Education was named in honor of the Cato Corp. for its support of education and the university.

And Central Piedmont Community College named a campus after Cato in the university area at the corner of W.T. Harris Boulevard and Grier Road.

Wayland Cato Jr. and his wife Marion at a 2007 dedication ceremony for the 49,000- square-foot addition at the Cato Campus of CPCC.
Wayland Cato Jr. and his wife Marion at a 2007 dedication ceremony for the 49,000- square-foot addition at the Cato Campus of CPCC.

“Mr. Cato and the Cato Family have been great friends and supporters of the college for many, many years,” spokesman Jeff Lowrance told The Charlotte Observer. “He will be dearly missed.”

Cato Jr. is survived by his wife Marion Rivers Cato; children Clarice Cato Goodyear; John Pickens Derham Cato (Jane Greeson Cato); Catherine Evelyn Cato (Gene Ehmann); Thomas Edgar Cato (Marti Washam Cato); Joseph Courtney Cato; and two grandchildren.

A funeral for his son, Wayland Cato III was held on Tuesday. Funeral arrangements are being made for Cato Jr., according to Queens University officials.

Cato also was predeceased by his first wife, Margaret Boutt Cato; daughter, Margaret Louise Cato; son-in-law James Dent Goodyear; and son, Henry Pickens Cato II.

Correction: An earlier version of this story had an incorrect spelling of the first name of Wayland Cato Jr. in the headline and story.