Chuck Stolhand had high aspirations of becoming a professional golfer, or maybe a pro baseball player; he was good at both. After a stint in the Navy, he went off to college to get his Bachelors of Arts degree. He had a strong interest in the arts and sciences, especially literature.  He was also preparing himself for a career on the links.  That direction took a drastic turn one day on the golf course in New Mexico. While playing in a tournament he was on the green preparing to make his putt when he thought he heard someone say something to him. He stepped back to reset himself and to try again. Again, he heard a voice in his head, but this time he heard the message- “You’re not supposed to be here. You need to find where you belong.” He had known from a young age that he wanted to do something more, he just didn’t know what that was.

While in college he met his wife Fran and they got married. After graduating he took his first job working on a pipeline in New Mexico. He knew it wasn’t where he was supposed to be, but with a wife and plans for a family, the good paycheck would certainly be helpful. He moved around a bit while working for the pipeline and eventually ended up in Griffith Indiana. While reading the local paper from this quiet little town he came across a classified ad for a high school Spanish teacher. He interviewed for two jobs and was offered both jobs, even though he only had seventeen credit hours of Spanish and he did not have his teaching certificate. It was not an easy decision. He had one child and another on the way. The teaching job paid less but he was going to need more than just money. During this time his wife Fran went to Louisiana with their first child to have some help delivering their second child. Even though the timing wasn’t very good, there was something pulling him toward the job. So, he took the job in Clifton, a small town in central Illinois. He had to do some negotiating with the bank to get some survival money and pulled up residency in his car for a while, but that first day he walked into the classroom filled with sophomores, he knew it was where he belonged.

He went back to school to get his required teacher’s certificate and a few years later he had his master’s degree and a very broad scope in areas of studies that included teaching philosophy, literature and critical thinking.  This provided him with more than enough credentials to teach at the college level and it just so happened that a job had opened up at a nearby college.  Six months later he was the head of the humanities division and a little later he became the head of the social services division also. He remained in those posts for 24 years.

I first met Chuck in the early 1990’s. He was my college English teacher. I have a personal fondness for teachers and the educational field as I have many educators in my family that keep me abreast of the many aspects that are a part of teaching and education for all levels. I have been fortunate to have had many fine teachers throughout my life, but Chuck has always stood out as one of an elite group that was above and beyond just fine. What made him reach that status with me? He gave me more than just knowledge on a particular subject. He taught me to keep asking questions in search of a deeper and more thorough understanding of any subject. It was something that helped in my learning and understanding of all areas of my life. We reconnected just a few years ago in a strange manner. My wife was on the phone one night having a philosophical conversation that caught my attention. After she hung up, I asked her who she was talking to and she told me it was Chuck Stolhand. It turned out to be the same Chuck that we both knew from different circumstances.  We both had the same admiration for the man. It was an easy choice for me to select Chuck for this interview. He is certainly a man of value and he takes great effort to search and define the principles behind living and contributing to meaningful life.

First, I asked Chuck about what his values look like in terms of faith, family, and freedom.

            “My faith is in God and Christ and that has led me to study righteousness very closely. Family has been the base of great importance to me personally and understanding that we are all sons of God in God’s family is vastly important. To enjoy privilege without abuse, to have liberty without license, to possess power and steadfastly refuse to use it for self-aggrandizement-these are the marks of high civilization. (48:7.8) Understanding true religion is the only source of true liberty.” Growing up his family did not attend a church. One time when he was planning to go visit a church his father told him to not bother, it was better for him to go out and practice his golf swing. It wasn’t that the family didn’t believe in God, God was just always there and that is what mattered. Chuck said he was always open to the idea of church but he just didn’t think about it that much.

I followed up with asking him how his values determined his path in life:

            “The first time I understood the meaning of values was when I realized that science is quantitative, and values are qualitative. But then that lead me to wonder what qualitative really means and how to examine the meanings and expansion of values.” He says that he continues to exam and search for deeper understanding of how that concept works.

Next, I asked him how is values limited his life choices both from himself and from others:

            “For me the word limit is inappropriate because my value change gave me expansive growth that I would never have had otherwise. I moved from being competitive to a world of giving service that opened up my encounter with great minds and hearts.”

Who have been some of those great minds and hearts that have inspired you?

            “I found inspiration and guidance from my wife Fran. In our later years I would say to her, ‘You have taught me so much.’ She would then tell me that I know so much. She was a “heart” person and I was the intellect on the search for reality. What I learned from her was that “love is a gift” where obligation is a “have to.” That opened a huge world for me.”

Where do you think the nation is going?

“To tyranny.”

Why?

            “It has become highly egoistical materialistic and secular driven by money and the obsessive power need to inhibit the freedom of those who disagree. Many in the nation no longer understand the inalienable rights concept of our founding.”

What needs to happen for things to be “better”?

            “To be able to speak the truth beyond generalizations.” We talked about how people are afraid or maybe unwilling to talk about God and religion. When we do, many times the discussions default to books and the theology of religion. True religion is living and breathing and moves with life. Chuck said something that has really stuck with me-a piano player doesn’t think about their fingers when they are playing, they learn the mechanics of playing, and then just let it go and let the music flow. That should be how our faith should work-learn the elements and then trust in it to work.

What do you believe are the most critical needs of humanity?

            “The ability to understand that we are cosmically derived, on a potential evolutionary path from our physical form to a spiritual destiny given the free will to destroy ourselves or move forward.”

What is the vision of the world you would like to live in?

            “For it to be a place that true religion is the foundation and the guiding star of all enduring civilizations.”

I asked him if there was anything he feared.

            “No.” Having a strong faith gives you power over fear.

If you could do something about anything, what would that be?

            “I have met people with great dreams and purposes and I would do everything I could to encourage them. I would let them know that their stories lift me up and inspire me because of what they can bring to the world we live in.”

My conversation with Chuck lasted longer than my typical interviews, but this wasn’t a typical interview. I was held captive by his deep love and passion for learning and knowledge. It was no different than when I was a student of his over thirty years ago. It didn’t matter what the topic was, he could take complex lessons and present it in a way that could be understood and applied and even enjoyed. I wish I could go into more of the details of our meeting because there is so much more to tell that I cannot even come close to capturing the depth of this educational experience.  I left my discussion with Chuck having some new perspectives on some old thoughts. He challenged my thinking by telling me to never stop questioning and keep digging until you feel that peace. Chuck was a good teacher thirty years ago when I had to be there in order to accomplish my degree, but he is even a better teacher now when I don’t have to be there.

I didn’t know Chuck in a spiritual way back then but it didn’t surprise me when we reconnected that he was a man of faith. He has always displayed compassion and care whenever I have observed him with others. He always tries to meet people where they are at and include everyone. He is a man who digs deep to find the answers to what he is looking for and even deeper when the answers end up creating more questions. At one point in our conversation, I asked him to tell me something strange or unique about himself, or at least some sort of hobby. He responded to that question by telling me that he had a heightened level of interest for learning and tracing reality sources. I thought to myself that surely can fall into the unique or strange category, but it fits him well. Knowing his tenacity for knowledge and understanding makes it easy for me to trust what he teaches and shares because I have no doubt that it has been thoroughly explored.  In my experience I have found that the best teachers are the ones that keep learning. Chuck is now 89 years old and retired from his job but I don’t think he will ever retire from actually teaching. His beloved wife Fran passed away a couple of years ago and left a deep void in his life. He seeks solace by going down to his favorite coffee shop at 5:30 every morning to share a story or two with other early risers. A little while later he takes a walk to a nearby church for contemplation to prepare him for the day that follows.

There is a quote from Mahatma Gandhi that I try to keep in mind as a principle to follow that epitomizes Chuck to me. It says:

            “Live today as if it were your last, keep learning as if you are going to live forever.”

So, if you are ever around Austin Texas at 5:30 in the morning and go into a coffee shop, and there is a man with a smile and he invites you to sit and have a chat, I would encourage you to do so. I promise you will learn something. If it’s not Chuck, do it anyway because we are all people of value and we can and should learn from each other.