Charles Witham Memorial Website

Charles K. Witham
Advocacy and Activism

Chuck's love of the earth and everything in it led to a life of activism and advocacy, along with a lifestyle that reflected his beliefs.

He biked to work and around town. He used cloth handkerchiefs, kitchen towels and napkins instead of paper. He recycled everything. He tried to waste nothing - and it was not unknown for him to emphatically express his opinions when someone else did.

When the loosely structured Foothills Bicycle Initiative, of which he was a member, wanted to collect dues, he arranged for it to be an official Caltech club, giving it non-profit status and seed money from the university. He successfully led the local efforts to have a Pasadena Bicycle Master Plan passed by the city council. He was an active member of the Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition, co-leading their campaign to increase bicycle funding in L.A. County, volunteering for their L.A. River Ride and representing the Coalition on the Arroyofest Steering Committee.

Chuck was active in local efforts for preservation of the Arroyo Seco. He brought new energy to the environmental club at Caltech. He organized

Earth Day events. He was a member of the Caltech Electric Car Club and bought a 1973 converted Saab Sonnet which he lovingly refurbished. The Sonnet had a very limited range of distance and when he decided to purchase a more conventional car he chose a hybrid electric Honda Insight.

The list of organizations Chuck regularly supported with a check is long (see the links page for some of them) and even the selection of his area of research - better sources of energy - reflected his environmentalism.

Chuck left a legacy by what he did and - even more - by inspiring others to be more active, both during his life and after his death.