By: Mike Ellis ‘90, Director of Alumni Relations
On July 1, 2025, Belmont Abbey lost a local legend: not just an alumni legend but also a longstanding pillar of Belmont and the Gaston County community. Charles “Charlie” Martin ’70 led an extraordinary life centered on family and built on dedicated service. Many of us remember him as an active Abbey alum and the former Mayor of Belmont. However, his life and legacy go even deeper. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Charlie’s widow Dorothy “Dot” Martin to learn more about this remarkable man.
Charlie – or as Dot lovingly calls him, “Kit” – was born in New York, where he and his siblings Carolyn, Bruce, and Napoleon lived with their parents in a Manhattan apartment. Charlie’s mother, a Catholic of Cuban descent, and his father, a Greensboro, NC native, had met in Miami Beach. Family was always a priority in the Martin household, and Charlie’s parents instilled both respect and discipline in their children.
At 12, Charlie moved with his family to New Milford, NJ, where he finished high school and entered the Navy. Charlie’s four years of service (1961-65) spanned the Bay of Pigs Invasion and Cuban Missile Crisis, and as Dorothy recalled Kit’s love for the Navy and his expertise in crypto coding, she expressed surprise that he hadn’t pursued a naval career. In 1965, however, Charlie received an honorable discharge and enrolled at Fairleigh Dickinson University, at which time his brother Bruce was studying at Belmont Abbey College.
At FDU, Charlie attended classes by day and drove a NY City taxi at night. When he confessed to Bruce, however, that he wasn’t enjoying his undergraduate experience, his brother suggested he sell his car and transfer to Belmont Abbey, and that is exactly what he did. Once at the Abbey, a chance meeting with a pretty, local girl would convince Charlie to put down permanent roots.
This meeting, which occurred at a local bar, was actually highly improbable, given that Dot doesn’t drink alcohol. When her friend, who worked at the bar, asked Dot to keep her company that night, however, she’d agreed to join her for the evening. And when a handsome young man from the Abbey arrived with his friends… it was love at first sight. “Charlie needed a ride back to the Abbey,” Dot remembers, “and I was hesitant, but he was a perfect gentleman. I dropped him off at the cemetery on campus.” This was the beginning of their romance, a romance which would last the rest of their lives.
Kit and Dot were married in 1970 at the local Methodist church, and she jokingly calls this their “first marriage” since, after Dot converted to Catholicism, they “re-married” at the Basilica, with Father Cuthbert presiding. Today Charlie is buried in the Abbey cemetery, directly across from where Dot dropped him off on that first date.
During the 1970s, Dot recounts how different Belmont was and how Abbey students and outsiders, especially northeasterners, weren’t always welcome in town. Charlie, however, would not be deterred: “He was always a doer.” Whether coaching Belmont youth teams, serving on town committees, getting involved in the Red Cross, or becoming a member (and eventually President) of the Alumni Association, Charlie was a man of action.
Although he entered into politics at the promptings of a local resident, Dot recalls this encouragement was less than genuine. As soon as Charlie submitted his city council candidate paperwork, in fact, his “friend” promptly campaigned against him on the platform that Belmont shouldn’t elect an outsider. Charlie lost that election but learned a valuable lesson, and he would spend the coming years immersing himself in the Belmont community. Becoming an insurance agent, he built relationships, made connections, and demonstrated his affection and concern for Belmont and its residents, gaining a loyal following. The second time he ran for city council, Kit Martin would not be denied.
As Charlie gained local popularity and support, the former Mayor of Belmont, Richard Boyce, suggested that he run. Charlie would serve as mayor for 10 years, doing everything he could to improve Belmont’s stature and visibility. The improved relationship between the Abbey and the town was one of his proudest accomplishments.
Even with his substantial successes, however, when I asked Dot what she remembers most fondly about Kit, she immediately said, “his humility.” Charlie always prioritized others, especially kids. He prayed the rosary daily and never allowed ego to influence his decisions. As Mrs. Martin reflects, “It was the way he loved me and the way he loved people” that she will continue to cherish most.
Belmont and the Belmont Abbey community join her in remembering this beloved local legend, who lived out the Benedictine hallmarks of love, humility, and stability, both in service of his alma mater and of the town he made his home. We will always be grateful for the magnanimous and humble Charlie Martin.
