Mrs.
Dorothy "Dot" Bell Austell, died on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009, at home. She was born Nov. 17, 1920, in Charlotte. Her family moved to Shelby in 1934. She was the daughter of the late Claude Love Austell and Susan Borders Austell.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by two sisters, Gertrude Crowder and Louise Short; four brothers, Harry Austell, Max Austell, Claude Austell Jr. and James Austell.
She is survived by a niece; several nephews; cousins; and friends.
She was a member of Hayes Barton Baptist Church in Raleigh. Ms. Austell was a graduate of Shelby High School and Gardner-Webb University. During World War II, she served in the Women's Army Air Corps, Intelligence Division. Following the war, in 1948-1949 she served as the first woman post commander of American Legion Post 82, Shelby. The National Daughters of the Confederate gave her their highest honor, the Military Cross, for her military service.
In the early 1950s, she moved to Raleigh where she served in executive positions with Governors Kerr Scott and Luther Hodges, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and the N.C. Utilities Commission.
In 1955, Ms. Austell joined the Pilot Life Insurance Company (later, Jefferson Pilot Financial). During her 50 year insurance career, she earned numerous business awards including first woman in the U.S. to lead her company in sales, first woman to be elected to the board of trustees of the National Association of Life Underwriters, first woman president of the NC Life Underwriters and the first woman to win membership in the Jefferson Pilot Life Insurance Company Hall of Fame.
In addition to her business career, she was active in many community and civic endeavors. She was a past member of the Raleigh Civitan Club, the Raleigh Business and Professional Women and the North Carolina and Wake County Democratic organizations. The pride and joy of her life in Raleigh were the YWCA, Girl Scouts and the Tammy Lynn Carter Center for Children. In the 1960s under her leadership as president of the Raleigh YWCA, she helped to integrate the "Y". She served on the Board of Pines of Carolina Girl Scouts, as chairperson of the building committee that built the council's first headquarters. In the 1980s, she served on the Board of Directors of the Tammy Lynn Carter for Children.
During her lifetime, she was a recipient of "The Order of the Long Leaf Pine," the 1998 Distinguished Women of North Carolina Award for outstanding level of achievement in business and Gardner-Webb University's 2001 Gallery of Distinguished Graduates Award.
Her hobbies were golf, boating and spending time with friends and relatives at her summer home at Wrightsville Beach.
Memorial Service: Saturday, Aug. 29, 11 a.m., Cecil M. Burton Funeral Home Chapel
Visitation: The family will receive friends 30 minutes before the service, at the funeral home.
Burial: Sunset Cemetery
Memorials: Liberty Hospice, 3200 Spring Forest Road, Raleigh, NC 27616; or N.C. 4-H Development Fund, P.O. Box 7645, Raleigh, NC 27695