Charlie King

Charlie King passed away in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Oct. 11 at the age of 91. A self-described “generalist in biology,” Charlie could communicate to both the scientist and the layman. His ability to talk to anyone—combined with both cultural and natural history knowledge—made him an engaging speaker. His stories were both educational and entertaining. He also had a big impact on students of all ages, with many saying he was their most influential teacher. His teaching extended beyond the classroom and ranged from mentoring others in their educational pursuits to mailing them interesting newspaper clippings.

Charles Crawford King was born January 12, 1933, in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, and grew up next to the Allegheny River. He spent his childhood summers up-river in Emlenton where he worked the family farms (pitching hay and driving horses) while studying the environment (collecting insects, learning beekeeping, and studying flowers and trees). Two huge influences during those summers were his father (for teaching him plant names) and his great aunt Etta (for helping raise him).

After attending Marietta College in Ohio and getting a masters and doctorate at Ohio State, he became a biology professor at Malone College in Canton, Ohio. In addition to classroom work he led students on many field trips including ones to West Virginia, Eastern Canada, the West Coast of the U.S., and Jamaica. He was responsible for planting many of the trees on campus, and a Treewalk was dedicated to him in 2018. He also helped found The Wilderness Center in Wilmot, Ohio.

In 1972 he moved to Columbus and Ohio State to become the Executive Director of the Ohio Biological Survey, an administrative unit of the College of Biological Sciences. He interacted with biologists, the university community, those in government, and Ohio citizens while also being an adjunct professor of Entomology and teaching Ecology for Landscape Architects. He inspired the creation of the book Ohio’s Natural Heritage, researched the prairies of the Darby Plains, and organized a large conference for the American Institute of Biological Sciences (where everyone received a buckeye). Other activities included a vegetation inventory of Muirfield Village in Dublin, helping to found the Cedar Bog Association, and authoring the book A Legacy of Stewardship: The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, 1949-1989.

With his retirement in 1992, Charlie and his devoted wife Anita moved to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, where he was active in 4-H clubs and the Colorado Native Plant Society. They traveled the entire continent; highlights included canoeing in Northern Ontario, horse packing in the Colorado wilderness, camping the length of the Baja Peninsula, and visiting the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico. In 2011 they moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where they enjoyed the cultural offerings of concerts, lectures, and museums.

Charlie loved maps and always knew where he was; he’d read the landscape wherever he went. His favorite road was U.S. Route 62 (which runs from El Paso, Texas, to Niagara Falls, New York), and he appreciated geographic quirks such as The Northwest Angle in Minnesota and Point Roberts in Washington. Over the years he went through two Studebaker Larks, then two VW buses, two Chevy Vegas, two Chevy Chevettes, and two Jeeps. He was a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, Denver Broncos, and the Ohio State Buckeyes; he got OSU football family season tickets for 52 consecutive years. He was a big fan of bluegrass music (going back to its very beginning) and attended numerous bluegrass festivals. Charlie had a great sense of humor and would inject it anywhere; a Malone student remembers him entering the classroom on the first day wearing Groucho Marx glasses. At the conclusion of a prairie conference in 1982, he presented his slideshow of a new species—“Helianthus rota-plasticus.” The audience of academics (who knew their Latin) were highly entertained and loved it.

Recognitions include the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Hall of Fame, The Nature Conservancy Oak Leaf Award, and the Nature Conservancy in Ohio Honorary Life Trustee.

He is preceded in death by parents Cletus and Margaret King, sister Audrey Jean King McGahen, and daughter Connie King Bruins. He is survived by his wife Anita King of New Mexico, son Jerry (Laura) King of Virginia, daughter Linda King (Tim) Courlas of Columbus, Ohio, daughter Sylvia King (Ron) Tietbohl of Georgia, son Eric (Jennifer) King of Cincinnati, Ohio, their mother Nicki King of Columbus, Ohio, stepson Victor Underwood of Colorado, son-in-law Randy Bruins of Kazakhstan, and 18 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life will be held November 23, 2024 in two parts. At 12:00 noon, there will be a gathering at Chestnut Ridge Metro Park at 8445 Winchester Rd NW, Carroll, OH 43112. Park at the last parking lot and take the Ridge Trail east (left, from the parking lot) to the Homesite Trail; then follow that trail up to the top of the ridge and the foundation of the old homesite (where Charlie and Anita lived in the late 1980s). At 2:00 pm, there will be a casual service at The Wagnalls Memorial Library at 150 E. Columbus St., Lithopolis, OH 43136.

Donations for a Memorial Tree to be planted at Chestnut Ridge Metro Park can be sent to Linda Courlas, 824 Nob Hill Dr W, Gahanna, OH 43230 or Venmo @Linda-Courlas (0931).