Charles Hamilton “Chuck” Davis IV was born in Laurel, MS. His father was in the service flying bombers in World War II, frequently moving around in preparation for this overseas duty. For that reason, Chuck was often left with his godly grandmother. He decided to follow Christ at an early age and would often ride the bus to church to honor this commitment.
Chuck spent a year in college before gaining an appointment to West Point. He enjoyed his years at West Point, and his only regret was that he did not earn the Robert E. Lee memorial saber. It went to the cadet who was first in his class in math, and Chuck was number two. Upon graduation from West Point, he chose to go into the Air Force. After pilot training in Malden, MO, Chuck chose to go to Craig AFB in Selma, AL for instructor school. This was providential because it was there that he met his future wife, Barbara. West Point classmates Mike Jones and Walt Patterson trained there with him. He would run into them again at future assignments. Chuck and Barbara were married in December 1958 and moved to Laredo, TX, where he would serve as a T-38 instructor. Mike Jones and Chuck lived across the street from each other in Laredo, and a son was born to each of them while there. Mike and his wife, Bonnie, became such good friends that they planned to have Chuck and Barbara raise their children in the case of their early demise.
After Laredo, Chuck was offered an Olmsted scholarship. Two candidates were chosen each year from the services to study abroad to work toward a degree. As indicated by previous scholars, actually earning a degree in Europe was extremely challenging.
When Chuck and Barbara moved to Washington, DC, they were assigned to a SANS Institute professor for 25 hours a week to work on their French. Chuck’s first choice of country was France, but a scholar had been assigned there the year before, so he was assigned to Belgium.
Chuck was fortunate to find a Belgian professor who promised him a degree if he would study in the professor’s discipline and could pass oral exams. Once in Belgium, Chuck was able to keep up his flying proficiency by flying an F-84 from the Belgian Air Force. He learned to fly that particular aircraft by reading the manual!
After two years of study, Chuck passed his oral exams and the Belgian equivalent of a master’s degree in theoretical atomic and nuclear physics.
Chuck’s next assignment was to Holloman Air Force Base, NM, where his squadron of F-4 Phantoms was deployed to Vietnam. He flew 100 missions from Cam Ranh Bay and was then assigned to the U.S. Air Force Academy. Chuck served as an air officer, commanding at the same time that fellow classmate Walt Patterson taught at the Academy. Walt and his wife, Susan, became close friends, and asked Chuck and Barbara to be godparents of their children. While there, Chuck jumped out of a perfectly good aircraft 10 times, earning his jump wings.
Chuck was then assigned to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, NC; the Air War College; Kwang Ju Air Base, Korea; Headquarters, U.S. Air Force; and Allied Air Forces in Naples, Italy. His next assignment, to Williams AFB, AZ, was by far the most enjoyable for the family. His work hours there allowed for more family time. There was a nearby recreation area called Carney Park that was created in the middle of an extinct volcano. There, Chuck and his oldest son, Craig, played lots of tennis.
Friends came to visit in Italy and enjoyed trips to Pompei and Mount Vesuvius, where steam would still emerge from the mostly dormant volcano. One Christmas there was extra special for Chuck and Barbara, when sailors showed up at their church and accepted an invitation to visit their home and family, while enjoying Christmas dinner. The favor was later returned with a visit aboard the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier. This was a special treat for Barbara’s father, who had served aboard a troop ship in World War II.
Mostly, Chuck’s career was related to tactical fighter aviation. He retired in 1981 after 23 years in the U.S. Air Force. He went on to get a Ph.D. at the University of Texas. He then taught operations research and statistics at Southwest Texas State University for 20 years. For four of those years, he had a leave of absence to become the first civilian dean of the Air War College at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, AL.
For 19 years after retiring from Texas State, Chuck was able to golf in the mountains of Ruidoso, NM. There, Chuck and Barbara enjoyed a vacation home for four months of the year. Slowly, Chuck became bedridden with Parkinson’s disease and passed away on December 17, 2022. This was exactly two years after his sister, Debbie Backlund, passed away. Chuck and Barbara had a great 63 years together and a very interesting life. Chuck is survived by his wife and sons: Craig, Charles, and Chris. There are three grandchildren: Naomi, Nathan, and Andrew. We will greatly miss you, Chuck.
— Barbara Davis, wife of 63 years