This article about Cam Boyd was first published in July 2021. It was my good fortune to spend a few hours with Cam and listen to his stories of growing up in Flat Rock. Cam was a direct link to the Flat Rock of the old times and I appreciated his first-hand accounts of the days that seemed an idyllic setting for a young boy to grow up.

Cam was generous with his time and unfailingly kind as I listened to him paint a picture of a fascinating life. I will always be grateful for the chance to meet and know Cam Boyd, even if just for a little while.

Cam passed away on September 24th, 2024 at age 79. -BH

When Cam Boyd’s family purchased Flat Rock’s historic Saluda Cottages in 1955, Cam was just 11 years old and not particularly pleased with the move. His life of riding bikes and playing sports with a crowd of neighborhood kids was no longer in the cards. But as is so often the case, change can be both good and bad. “Growing up in Flat Rock was a mixed blessing,” Cam recalls now. “I did not realize how lucky I was until later in life.”

Cam’s father, Lewis Campbell “L.C.” Boyd, Sr., was a successful car dealer having founded what is now Boyd Automotive. L.C. grew up in Raleigh and moved to western North Carolina during the depression to live with his sister who had married a lawyer from Hendersonville. L.C. got his start in business when his new brother-in-law, Monroe Redden, loaned him money to purchase a Gulf Service Station at the corner of Church and 4th Streets. He soon started selling Pontiacs off the lot and the business began to take off.

“Cam was one if those guys who is always there and always makes everything alright. When my father was older, Cam took would pick up Dad’s car himself for oil changes and return it at cocktail time to share a drink with Dad. Cam had an amazing way of sharing himself with people - his loyalty oozed out of him. He reminded the world of the importance of using our abilities to make life better.

And, damn if he didn’t show us how to walk gracefully into heaven.”

— Suzie Rindal

L.C. later met and married Helen McGary, the daughter of the mayor of Coral Gables, FL. They settled into a home on Hyman Street in Hendersonville and started a family that eventually included three children - Mary Helen, Cam, and the youngest sibling, Paula. Cam Boyd still recalls those days on Hyman Street fondly. “We lived in a neighborhood with 10 to 15 guys my age within 3 or 4 blocks of where I lived. We rode our bikes to town, played ball in each other's yards, and lived the life of city kids.”

Boyd’s Gulf Service on Church St. in Hendersonville.

In 1955, L.C. Boyd, Sr. was well established as a successful Henderson County businessman and purchased the 125 acre Saluda Cottages estate in Flat Rock, NC. L.C. kept the home and approximately 30 acres surrounding the estate for his young family. The rest of the property he eventually developed into what is now the Flat Rock Forest neighborhood.

The original structure at Saluda Cottages was built in 1836 by Count Joseph Marie Gabriel St. Xavier de Choiseul, French Consul to Charleston. The Boyd’s undertook extensive remodeling to make their new home a year-round residence. The house's 17 fireplaces were supplemented with a heating system and the baths and closets were updated to handle a growing family.

“What I’ll remember most about Cam is the fact that he was such an energetic and positive person. He always had a bright outlook on life. I can only imagine how many people considered Cam a good friend just because of the way he treated people and the way he engaged with the folks he met. I considered Cam to be the unofficial mayor of Flat Rock in many ways. He just had that kind of presence and impact in the community.

I think we probably all meet people in life that you wish you had had the opportunity to spend more time with, and Cam would be certainly one of the people at the top of my list. He was a person that made you want to be around him more. ”

— Andy Satterfield, Vice President, Historic Flat Rock, Inc.

Cam recalls the move as a “lonesome” time. Flat Rock was certainly not the bustling village we know today and Cam felt far removed from his days as a young man freely riding his bike all over the streets of Hendersonville. In fact, his new home was not on a paved road - Little River Road at the time was still an unpaved one-lane clay road with very little traffic. “My only neighbors were the Sandburg's and The Playhouse,” he says.

To help with the transition to country life, L.C. and Helen Boyd bought horses for Cam and his sisters and pastured them in the fields surrounding their new home. Cam’s parents also made sure that the children’s friends were frequent guests to the home. “The horses were a lot of fun,” says Cam. “We could take Midnight and Sunset and go out and explore all of Flat Rock. And we always had a house full of friends invited over.”

Ironically, as the son of a successful auto dealer, Cam spent much of his youth on the back of a horse. He recalls those times fondly. “We could go anywhere. We rode through all the old Flat Rock estates. I could ride my horse to the Hendersonville Country Club, tie him to a fence, go swimming, and jump back on him and head home.” Cam would also ride his horse downtown and remembers going to Brock’s Drive-in, tying his horse to the speakers used for drive-in orders, and going inside to get a sandwich.

Flat Rock in the 1950s was much less developed and was replete with logging roads and bridle trails that crisscrossed Flat Rock's larger estates - perfect for riding horses on warm summer days. Cam remembers riding through the Argyle estate and being welcomed by Alexander Campbell King, Jr. “He was delightful,” Cam recalls. “He would insist that I come in and have a glass of lemonade or cold water from the spring.”

Cam’s world was modernized considerably at age 13 when his father threw him a set of keys to a jeep and told his son to go learn to drive. “The rule was I could only drive on dirt roads. I could cross a paved road, but only drive on dirt roads.” Fortunately for Cam, there were plenty of dirt roads in Flat Rock in 1957. Still, some of the lessons about driving were hard. “I turned that jeep over a few times,” he says with the nonchalant grin of a teenage driver.

Cam Boyd with his mother, Helen and his older sister, Mary Helen

Cam has many memories of “Old” Flat Rock that reach back into the history of the village. The Boyd’s were neighbors to Lillian and Carl Sandburg and Cam would see them often. Occasionally, he was tasked with returning a wayward donkey that belonged to the Sandburg’s. “That donkey wanted to live at our house with our horses instead of with Mrs. Sandburg’s goats. About once every two or three weeks, I would lead the little donkey back to the Sandburg's house.” Cam found Mr. Sandburg, despite his fame in other circles, to be just another resident of Flat Rock. “He was a very quiet, unassuming, nice old man. You know, he was just a neighbor to me.”

“As a Board member, Board President, Executive Committee member, patron, donor, fan, friend...whatever role he played at Flat Rock Playhouse over the decades, Cam brought humor, kindness, integrity, and generosity of spirit to every encounter with the Vagabonds. He was unfailingly optimistic, dedicated, and gracious. His support and encouragement were valued and felt deeply.

We wanted to make Cam proud because having his respect felt like the best vote of confidence you could ask for. His warm smile, easy laugh, and playful salty side, combined with his savvy, intelligence, leadership, and love for his community, made for a man we deeply admire and look up to. Cam, Sally, and the entire Boyd family have been an important part of FRP for a generation, and we are forever grateful.

We will miss him very much. “Goodnight, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!” ~William Shakespeare”

— Lisa Bryant, Artistic Director, Flat Rock Playhouse

Cam also has many memories of trips to Peace’s Grocery at the corner of West Blue Ridge and Greenville Highway - now The Wrinkled Egg. “I knew Mr. and Mrs. Peace who owned the store in the 50s better than Clarence Peace who came later. Like most families in Flat Rock, we had a charge account there. So I could just go in and get whatever I wanted. I would get a drink and talk with the neighbors as they came in to get their milk and bread. Mr. and Mrs. Peace were great and always treated us well.”

Riding a horse to The Wrinkled Egg today would be hazardous, to say the least. But in the late 1950s, traffic was not an issue. “I can remember sitting on the front steps of the old post office (now Historic Flat Rock’s Cultural Museum) with friends and there wouldn't be 10 cars that would drive by in 30 minutes.”

Other hangouts for a young boy and his horse included Jim Markley’s blacksmith shop. “We’d ride one horse down there to get it shod, and then ride home on our second horse.” Young Cam also spent time at the Flat Rock Playhouse. “In the summer we’d sit and watch as the actors practiced for their plays. Sometimes we would go swimming in the old quarry that is just behind the playhouse.”

Cam in his Air Force uniform on the porch of Saluda Cottages

Winters in Flat Rock were much quieter than the summer months. The seasonal residents would have packed up and headed back to Charleston, Florida, or other permanent residences. But winter still held a lot of charm for the children who lived in Flat Rock year-round. “We used to ice skate on the pond off of Boyd Drive. At night, the adults would point their car headlights at the pond so we could skate after dark. And when it snowed, we’d have people come over to go sledding down our big hills. My dad would take the Jeep and pull us up the hills.” Cam’s eyes still light up when he talks about those days. “We had so much fun.”

Summers in Flat Rock featured large picnics every Sunday after church with a dozen different families and a small horde of children at Lake Summit. Cam and the other children spent their Sunday afternoons playing games, swimming in the lake, and learning to ski.

Eventually, it was time to move on from childish things and Cam left for college and four years in the Air Force - including one year spent in Vietnam. He returned home in 1969 to help his dad with the business after the elder Boyd suffered a heart attack. Cam married the pretty girl named Sally that he’d known for most of his life and they started a family of their own. He eventually took over for his father and purchased the dealership in 1982. Under Cam’s guidance, the business continued to flourish. He and Sally also bought Saluda Cottages from his parents and raised their children there.

Even after a lifetime of business success and civic-minded contributions to his hometown, Cam Boyd has never forgotten the magical, halcyon days of his youth growing up in the Flat Rock of the 1950s. “It was a wonderful time. It was total freedom. I wouldn't trade that time for anything."

“If ever there was a man whose life was woven into the very fabric of the communities that he lived and worked in it was Cam Boyd. Cam exemplified servant leadership in everything that he did in Flat Rock, Lake Summit, Hendersonville, his church and his business. His family, though, was always first. While serving with Cam on the Historic Flat Rock Board, he was right up front about this and said he would miss a meeting for family.

I first met Cam years ago at Lake Summit when my family would come up from Charleston to the Lake. His contagious smile and cheerful disposition always made me feel welcomed and at home. His stories of growing up in Flat Rock and his love of Lake Summit were captivating. His family home, Saluda Cottages, was a historic landmark in Flat Rock and he and his wife, Sally, were magnificent stewards of it. To me, it will always be the wedding cake house and where the Boyds lived.

It was years later when I moved to Flat Rock and became involved with The Flat Rock Playhouse that I came to know Cam as a dedicated volunteer. While serving on this board with Cam, I saw in him someone who genuinely loved Flat Rock and believed in supporting the non-profits of this village. A few years later, Cam came to the rescue when I was serving on the board of Historic Flat Rock. He was one of the few people in the community who had been a part of this organization since its early beginnings. Cam helped pick up the pieces of HFR and was truly a friend and mentor to me during this time. His knowledge of the organization was key to the future of HFR and I will be forever grateful for his kindness and leadership.

The entire community of Flat Rock grieves the loss of Cam Boyd. He touched many lives in his lifetime and he will be dearly missed. ”

— Missy Craver Izard

Cam's Obituary Here