CHARLOTTE, N.C. — David Murdock, a visionary and fixture in the history of Kannapolis, North Carolina, passed away this week at the age of 102.  

“He was larger than life. He was highly confident,” City Manager of Kannapolis Mike Legg said.  

Legg worked with the city when Murdock transformed Kannapolis. 

“He was always very accommodating to us and really had a deep love for Kannapolis in a lot of ways,” Legg said.

Murdock bought and demolished the Old Cannon Mills in the 1980s, which was a huge staple in the community. 

“That was painful to see that icon removed, but the end result was rebirth and a transformation of this community in a way that without David Murdock, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve,” Legg said. 

In the early 2000s, the North Carolina Research Campus, Murdock’s legacy project, was launched. 

Ryan Dayvault has a picture with Murdock from when Dayvault was a teenager. As a Dayvault, he has direct ties to this land.  

“This property was my great great grandfather’s farm. In 1905 is when the property was sold to Mr. Cannon to build Kannapolis, build the mill. For me personally to be able to see it all through the iterations of time is pretty cool,” Dayvault said. 

The North Carolina Research Campus brought jobs and prosperity back to the city, where eight universities and the David H. Murdock Research Institute study agriculture, health and nutrition.

“[It] is a big deal that most communities would not ever see as a part of rebirthing of their community,” Dayvault said. 

Although it’s been 10 years after the last time he saw Murdock, “It’s been sort of surreal to me that he’s gone. I’ve not seen Mr. Murdock in over 10 years, but just knowing that he’s gone I mean is kind of an interesting feeling,” Dayvault said.  

Although Murdock's no longer here, his vision lives on. 

“He would want this place to move forward and move on and because this was his legacy project no matter what. This was his passion project,” Dayvault said. 

Murdock had a long career in business, including his ownership of Dole Foods and the sale of downtown Kannapolis to the city.