Charles Witham Memorial Website

Charles K. Witham
The Pasadena Years

Chuck, with his worldly belongings and cats Esmerelda and Muskrat, arrived in Pasadena in July of 1993 to pursue a doctorate degree. He was funded by working as a research assistant and for his first two years he attended classes at Caltech. The conferring of a Master of Science in Materials Science in June of 1995 was almost a non-happening, as he was already deeply involved in developing new alloys for rechargeable batteries. This would be the basis for his doctoral thesis.

During his years in Pasadena, Chuck evolved from a somewhat socially-challenged nerdy kind of guy to be a mature, confident, involved, directed, productive individual who was intimately connected to an amazing number of people.

Chuck had survived an extremely serious motorcycle accident in 1989, and said that each birthday was the gift of another year. How he lived reflected that sentiment, and he never missed an opportunity to spend time with old friends and new.

His first Pasadena friends were met at Caltech. His interest in environmental issues brought him to the Caltech environmental club and shaped many of his choices. He hiked and went camping. He bicycled everywhere both for transportation and for pleasure. He refined - and shared - his interest in cooking, giving dinner parties and later co-hosting barbecues attended by increasing numbers who became each others' friends. And with these friends, he tried new restaurants, took weekend trips to the desert, the beach, the mountains and to visit other friends in San Francisco. When he traveled to a work-related conference or meeting, he often detoured to visit friends or family.

Chuck always invited his friends to expand their horizons by joining him in whatever adventure he had planned, whether it was touring historic homes, environmental activities, political involvement or entertainment; and he, in turn, was supportive of their endeavors including theater, music and other ventures. There was the Caltech play in which Adam, Erica and Marjo performed; listening to Robbie's music at Mr. T's in Highland Park, and infamous karaoke nights, to mention just a few. Chuck even hosted a weekly party to watch South Park and (as someone expressed it) "burn little green things together."

When someone needed a place to live, and space was available, there was a welcome at Chuck's. When he defended his thesis in 2000, a probably record number of almost 40 friends, co-workers and relatives attended his public presentation.

No one is certain how Chuck fit so much into his days. He cooked breakfast every day and dinner for himself and others often. Members of his research team thought he worked all the time. His fellow activists thought he spent all his free time on causes. A neighbor was sure he spent all his free time working on his converted electric car. His mother thought he slept more than most people. And, his other friends thought he spent the majority of his life partying.

Chuck researched companies for social conscience before investing, developed an interest in historical architecture and preservation, took swing dancing and salsa lessons, and was searching for a house in the hills.

It is not a surprise that Chuck had a number of affairs of the heart during his years in Pasadena. He remained friends with these women (two actually lived within a block of him and were frequently seen at his place).

The consensus is that during the 34th - and last - year of his life, Chuck was able to achieve something that we all strive for but do not always reach, and that is happiness. Those who knew and loved him take comfort in this and in the fact that he lived a full and, we believe, satisfying life.