Born April 23, 1921 in Leesville, LA; died October 23, 2009 in Omaha. Chuck graduated from Leesville High School in 1938 and on December 30, 1940, enlisted in the Navy. Thus began a 30-year career that took him around the world, beginning on the heavy cruiser, USS Tuscaloosa in the North Atlantic. He became a pilot and qualified to fly 27 types of aircraft. He was awarded the Air Medal for piloting a plane loaded with injured Marines out of the Chosin Reservoir under the most difficult circumstances during the Korean War. He was also a pilot in the Berlin Airlift and considered this his greatest humanitarian achievement. In 1964 Chuck came to Offutt AFB as Flag Aircraft Commander for the Deputy Director, Strategic Target Planning. He retired from the Navy in 1971 with pilot time of nearly 18,000 hours. He joined the faculty at UNO's Gerontology Dept. in 1973, retiring in 2005 as Professor and Community Service Associate. Chuck had a BA from Bellevue University, an MA from University of Oklahoma, and a PhD from University of Nebraska at Lincoln. He was a world traveler, known for his unique itineraries; a student of history with an extensive library; a wine collector and connoisseur; and a Francophile.
