Honoring a Legacy: Charlie Klabunde
SAHC Board of Trustees, 2005
Photo by Charlie Klabunde, seated at right
Charles “Charlie” Klabunde was born October 28, 1931 in Champagne, IL and died February 7, 2015 in Oak Ridge TN. He lived in Niagara Falls, NY, graduated Lehigh University in 1953, and obtained a MS in Physics from Illinois University in 1955. Charlie retired from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, TN in 1996.
An enthusiastic hiker and conservationist, he was very active with SAHC, the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club, and TN Citizens for Wilderness Planning. He served as a Trustee of SAHC from 2001-07. His other interests included model airplane flying, photography, and folk dancing.
“Charlie could certainly cut a rug!” recalls Membership Director Cheryl Fowler. “He would be the first one to dance when the music started at our annual member celebrations.”
We are extremely thankful to Charlie for providing for the continued conservation of his beloved mountains. He made a generous planned gift to SAHC in order to ensure future protection of the Southern Appalachians for generations to come, and we are deeply grateful for his legacy.
