The story behind the statue at Providence/Providence and Queens/Queens
You’ve seen him. He may have been dressed up in a football jersey or decked out for a wedding, but you’ve seen him.
He’s the little bronze man in the middle of Queens Road, right near the Providence/Providence and Queens/Queens intersection, and he’s pointing, like he’s directing traffic.
What’s his story?
His name was Hugh McManaway.
McManaway was born in 1913 and grew up in a 20-room mansion on Queens Road.
During the ’60s and ’70s he spent most days directing traffic at the intersection that bears his statue, a “short, plump man … a little white hat on his head, a towel under his arm,” according to an Observer story about his death in 1989.
He often spoke in rhyme. “I work for Jesus and not for pay,” began a favorite. “My name is Hugh Pharr McManaway.”
“Some people play tennis,” he once told a reporter. “I direct traffic.”
Nevermind that the intersection has a traffic light.
A grassroots effort
Sisters Anne McKenna and Kitty Gaston loved McManaway as kids. They wanted to build a statue of him.
A column in the Observer in 1998 raised more than $5,000 from readers, but that was well short of the $65,000 price tag. Others chipped in.
Finally, after Anne’s death in 1999, Kitty met with former Bank of America CEO Hugh McColl. He said he’d take care of the rest.
In December 2000, the 4-foot bronze statue of “Old Man Traffic” was raised in the median.
He’s still pointing, directing traffic at that busy intersection with his trusty hat and towel.
Photos: Charlotte Observer file; Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library
This story was originally published August 27, 2015 at 1:14 AM with the headline "The story behind the statue at Providence/Providence and Queens/Queens."