Though many were drawn to Charles Joseph “Charlie” Jarvis Jr. based upon his winsome smile, natural good looks, and performances “upon the fields of friendly strife,” his mark on their hearts was left based upon his loyalty, generosity, and integrity.
On January 13, 1947, Charlie was born in Philadelphia, PA and was the second of five children for Frances and Charles J. Jarvis Sr. His formative years centered around a close-knit community and traditional values, including academics, sports, religion, and family. “Speak your mind, share your heart, and do your best” were principles indelibly imprinted on young Charlie. His admiration for his parents and theirs for him were boundless. He attributed all the good things that happened to him in his life to their careful guidance and love.
At Father Judge High School in Philadelphia, Charlie excelled in football and played basketball and baseball as well. He helped lead the Father Judge football team to its first city championship and as a senior was named to the Philadelphia All-Catholic team. One of Charlie’s high school teammates wrote about Charlie, “He was a truly gifted and special natural athlete who had extraordinary poise, God-given-talent, and grace.” Though courted by numerous major universities, Charlie’s selection of West Point was a blessing for all. He was reasonably close to home, and the West Point team embraced him.
Charlie took the oath on the Plain at West Point on July 1, 1965 with the Class of 1969. In Charlie’s words, “Little did I know that the following four years of classroom torture were quietly providing a valuable silver lining to developing an ability to handle difficulties with confidence and maintain a strong belief that almost anything in life is possible, regardless of the adversity.” During Charlie’s four years at West Point his accomplishments on the football field became legend and culminated in 1968 with three rushing touchdowns in Army’s victory over Navy. Charlie’s assessment of the feat, “I’m most proud to have played with the guys with whom I played and to have been a part of those teams, their efforts, and our results.” As one of his classmates observed, “Charlie was, for certain, the real-deal … reach out and touch him and he was there, smiling, and letting you know you were important to him.” That sentiment applied not only to every member of the Class of ’69 but also to his teammates from all classes and to his future business colleagues—that’s what you call making an impact!
After graduation, as opposed to joining the San Diego Chargers as their draft selection, Charlie was assigned to Germany with the 8th Infantry Division. Subsequent to that he was asked to return to West Point to be an assistant football coach with the Plebe Team and to assist in the Academy’s recruiting efforts. Both efforts he carried off with major positive results for West Point. Charlie ended his military service in 1974 and moved on to challenges in the business world.
Attention-to-detail and logical thinking served as marvelous complements to extraordinary people skills and unrelenting generosity—the results for Charlie being highly successful business activities. Over 40 years Charlie achieved business successes in areas that ranged from operations with a direct mail company to management and sales within major Wall Street finance and institutional investment firms. Charlie’s passion for the tactics and exhilarating moments involved in sport fishing, as football had in early years, afforded quality bonding time with colleagues, family, and friends.
Intense pride came over Charlie at the mere mention of any of his children’s names: Janine, Jonathan, Nadia, and Dana. His five grandchildren were lights of his life, and he lived for their laughter or just to hear their feet running on the floors overhead. Words from one of his daughters say it all, “For all my years on this earth I had a stand-up, class-act, and honorable example which I sought to replicate in my own life.”
In October 2017 Charlie Jarvis was inducted into the Army Sports Hall of Fame [ASHoF]. From years of generously hosting tailgates and assisting recruiting efforts, Charlie was a stand-out choice for the ASHoF. This lifetime recognition served as affirmation of his 1969 selection as the Army Athletic Association winner for doing the most in furtherance of Athletics at West Point. Among other honors Charlie received were his selection to the 1968 East-West Shrine Game, the Lions American Bowl, and the Coaches All-America Game. And, these were reinforced by a two-time honorable mention as an All-American choice in lacrosse, a sport he had never played until he came to West Point.
Charlie’s peaceful passing on January 29, 2018 resulted in an outpouring of fond recollections of him, only a precious few of which are here: “A humble and quiet man who let his performance do the talking,” “Hollywood-handsome, humble, generous, caring, strong, clear-eyed, he was the poster-man for West Point, Army Football, and the Class of 1969,” “…mourn his passing / bless his memory,” “Charlie Jarvis left us; but, he left all of us far better than when we first met,” and “Stories of Charlie will be told for years to come.”
Words from a great old song are here to close out this brief tribute to a magnificent and cherished member of the West Point Class of 1969, Charlie Jarvis, “We’ll meet again / don’t know where, don’t know when / but I know we’ll meet again some sunny day.”
— Family, Classmates, and Friends