Charles W. Humes, Jr.

Charles Warren Humes, Jr., EdD, 92, died at Fountain View Village SPA on Nov. 1, 2016, on All Souls Day.

He was born Ash Wednesday, March 5, 1924 in Cambridge, Mass. He was the only child of Charles Warren Humes, Sr. and his wife, Alice Elizabeth Aksomaitis. At his birth, his mother was hospitalized at Cambridge Hospital for two weeks at the cost of $67.

He grew up in Cambridge, Mass., Kearny, N.J. and Willimansett, Mass. He graduated from Chicopee High School class of 1942.

On March 17, 1943 he enlisted in the Army and went to Fort Devens, Mass. for processing and then on to Fort Knox, Ky. for basic training. His initial training was with the Armored Force driving tanks. Then he was given a typing test and with his aptitude tests, he was assigned to the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP), also known as “Scholars in Foxholes.”

During this time he attended Ohio State, Columbus, Ohio, Muskingum College, New Concord, Ohio, and University of North Grand Forks, N.D. In January 1945 he was transferred to Vaughan U.S. Military Hospital in Hines, Ill., a suburb of Chicago and became a rehab officer to returning injured.

After the war, he continued his education on the GI bill at American International University in Springfield, Mass., where he earned a BA, and then New York University, New York City earning a MA. Both of these degrees were in English.

Next, he took a Civil Services job with FDA as a drug inspector in San Francisco. In 1955, he returned to Massachusetts where he found new focus at Springfield College earning a Master of Education degree with a major in Guidance and Psychology.

In his working years he was a school psychologist at Westfield, Mass. Public School, later becoming the director of guidance in 1961. Then, he applied at the University of Massachusetts for admission to their Doctorial Program.

In 1964 his wanderlust kicked in and he spent an entire summer traveling around the World. Upon his return, he met his wife, Marilyn and they married the following August. He applied and received a sabbatical leave for a year, obtained his Doctorate of Education in 1967.

In 1970, he was named Director of Pupil Personnel Services in the Greenwich, Conn. Public Schools where he remained until 1980. The enactment of PL 94-142 Education of All Handicapped Children Act put him in the spotlight for his doctoral dissertation.

In 1980, he was invited to become an associate professor at Virginia Tech Northern Virginia Graduate Center. In 1993, Charles retired as “Professor Emeritus.” He has been widely published in many journals and authored and co-authored several textbooks.

His avocations were travel, family history and genealogy.

Charles is survived by his wife, Marilyn of 51 years; two daughters, Rebecca Ellyn Gelber, MD of Incline Village, Nev. and Cpl. Malinda Maye Sneary; and his grandsons, Tristin Lane and Tyler Humes Sneary of Mooresville, N.C.

He was a member of the Fountain Hills Presbyterian Church, The Society of Mayflower Descendants, Palo Verde Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution and The American Psychological Society.

There will be a memorial service to celebrate his life on Friday, Nov. 25, 2016 at the Fountain Hills Presbyterian Church, 13001 N. Fountain Hills Blvd. at 2 p.m. followed by a reception.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Fountain Hills Presbyterian Church or Shriners Hospitals for Children, P.O. Box 1510, Ranson, WV, 25438-4510 in his name.