Cyclist remembered as 'community servant'

Mangum, 58, was traveling southbound on Lassiter Mill Road, about six miles from his home, when Thomas Edison Castelloe, 81, turned into his path, hitting his bike, police said. 

Mangum "was unable to avoid the collision," police wrote in the wreck report. Other riders in the neighborhood said the intersection was a dangerous one, and it would have been almost impossible for Mangum, who was headed downhill, to stop quickly.

"Even though riders have a right to their portion of the road there, whenever there is a conflict between a rider and a car, the car always wins," said Ron Wahula.

The driver of the car, Castelloe, of 3417 Williamsborough Court, was charged with misdemeanor death by motor vehicle and failure to yield the right of way. He posted bond late Friday morning.

Mangum was a graduate of North Carolina State University and the third generation to head up the family business started by his namesake, C.C. Mangum Co. He worked there for more than 30 years and served as CEO after his father's death, his sister, Jeanne Andrus said. 

C.C. Mangum Co. worked on many of the projects that grew Raleigh and eastern North Carolina through much of the 20th century. The company was bought out in 2010 by Fred Smith Co., and Chris Mangum launched C.C. Mangum Consulting a year later.

Andrus described her brother Friday as someone who had a passion for people.

David Spickard, who co-founded  a nonprofit job-creation program with Mangum, echoed that sentiment. "He was just a model of a servant leader who always gave himself to others," Spickard said.

Jobs for Life was based in Raleigh, but Mangum worked through churches across the United States and in five other countries to teach life and job skills.  

"He leaves a legacy for us through Jobs for Life of thousands and thousands of lives that have been transformed, people who had no hope at one time and who now experience life in a new way," Spickard said.

"He was a spiritual person, who took up cycling later in life and, as with anything he did, he gave it 100 percent," friend Tom Helper said. 

Mangum is survived by a wife and children.

His death comes as the North Carolina Department of Transportation marks “National Bike Month” and “Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.” According to the DOT, more than 900 cyclists are injured or killed across the state annually in collisions with vehicles. So far in 2013, Raleigh has recorded 19 such crashes, police spokesman Jim Sughrue said.

Under state law, bicycles are considered vehicles. They must travel in the roadway and have the same rights and responsibilities as cars and trucks.

Castelloe is also a prominent member of the community. He is a retired doctor and was one of the founders of Raleigh Orthopaedic Clinic. "He spent his career saving lives and making lives better," a friend said.