A Partnership Built on Service
When Earl Congdon, Jr. and Kathryn "Kitty" Wood met in Richmond, Virginia, neither could have imagined the profound impact their partnership would have on an entire city. Yet looking back over more than six decades of marriage, community leadership, and generous giving, it's clear that their shared commitment to service has shaped not only their own family, but the future of High Point itself.
Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Earl Jr. had his remarkable parents to look up to: Earl Congdon Sr. and Lillian Herbert Congdon—the pioneering woman who, with her $1,700 in savings, co-founded Old Dominion Freight Line in 1934. Kitty was born in Richmond, Virginia, the youngest of three children to Marie Beam Wood and Wyatt Clinton Wood. After the couple married, they made a decision in 1960 that would change not just their individual lives, but the trajectory of an entire city.
That year, Old Dominion—then based in Virginia and run by Earl Jr., his brother Jack, and their mother Lillian—completed its purchase of High Point's Bottom-Fiske Truck Lines. It was an audacious move. Bottom-Fiske was a much larger company, and Earl later compared the acquisition "to a goldfish swallowing a trout." The Congdon family risked everything on the purchase, and the transition was far from smooth. Earl faced the Teamsters' efforts to unionize Bottom-Fiske workers, which erupted into a full-blown strike that resulted in violence.
In a moment that would define his leadership style, Earl insisted on driving the first truck through the picket line himself.
"I had a .38 on the seat," he later recalled. "I took the first truck through the picket line myself, and I can remember my foot was shaking because I was nervous… I figured that I needed to take the first one through there, because how could I ask other people to do it if I wouldn't do it myself?”
That courage and conviction—the willingness to do what he asked of others—would become a hallmark of Earl's leadership. It was in High Point, through both triumph and adversity, that Earl and Kitty would raise their three children—Karen, Audrey, and David—and build a legacy that now extends to eight grandchildren and nineteen great-grandchildren.
Under Earl's leadership, Old Dominion Freight Line grew from a handful of employees to over 23,000 employees. He served as president of Old Dominion from 1962 until 1997, leading the company to go public in 1992. Perhaps more remarkable than the company's growth was Earl's steadfast commitment to the values his mother Lillian instilled: integrity, hard work, and giving back to the community.
While Earl was building a business, Kitty was building community connections. She joined the Newcomers Club in High Point, famously welcoming new families with homemade casseroles. At St. Mary's Episcopal Church, where the couple has been active members for over sixty years, Kitty made history as the first female junior warden and served on the vestry. She also served as president of both the YWCA of Greater High Point and Junior League, demonstrating leadership that opened doors for women in civic life.
Earl, too, found ways to serve outside the walls of his office. He joined Toastmasters, where he learned skills in public speaking and networking that would serve him throughout his career. He ran stewardship campaigns at St. Mary's and served on the church vestry multiple times. He even played the cornet in the High Point city band.
The couple's approach to philanthropy was never about grand gestures divorced from real relationships.
"If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all. You can't take your words back," Kitty would remind her children, modeling a grace and intentionality that extended to every aspect of life.
In 2015, Earl and Kitty formalized their lifetime of giving by establishing the Earl and Kathryn Congdon Family Foundation. Since its inception, the Foundation has donated nearly $140 million back to the community, helping over 300 children of Old Dominion employees afford higher education and transforming organizations across High Point. From the Congdon School of Health Sciences at High Point University to the Congdon Heart and Vascular Center at High Point Regional Hospital, from the Boys and Girls Clubs' Congdon Hub for Great Futures to the seed funding for the Greater High Point Food Alliance, their investments have touched nearly every corner of the city.
Yet perhaps their greatest legacy isn't measured in buildings or dollars, but in the values they've passed down through generations. Their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are now starting nonprofits, running businesses focused on community impact, and advocating for High Point's future—living proof that service is not simply something to do, but a way of being.
When asked about the secret to their good health and longevity, Earl and Kitty will tell you with a smile that they attribute it to red wine. However, those who know them best understand that the real secret is much deeper: a life lived in partnership, rooted in faith, and devoted to the simple but profound belief that we all must give according to the blessings we've received.
"When you’re helped out,
it inspires you to help others."
EMILY CAROTHERS, Earl and Kitty Congdon Old Dominion Freight Line Scholarship Recipient
"Compassion is taking action. It’s not being satisfied with the status quo."
Carl Vierling, Greater High Point Food Alliance
Executive Director
"We’re creating our own ecosystem that is poised to turn our home into the “high point” of our state once more."
Rachel Collins, Business High Point
CEO
"All must give as they are able, according to the blessings given to them by the Lord your God."
Deuteronomy 16:17
"Our board is deeply involved in High Point. Their commitment to the city is evident in their desire for the foundation to form real partnerships with our grant recipients, so that we can support them to grow their impact."
Rev. Dr. Joe Blosser,
Chief Impact Officer