Big Charlie!

That's what everyone called my grandad White, my dads father. He was 6' 5" and weighed about 260 in his prime. My mothers family were short in stature, so I ended up a little stunted at 6' 3".
I wasn't as close to him as my other grandad but was always in awe of him and had much respect for the man that he was.
He worked for the Missouri highway dept. most of his life. Dad likes to tell about how grandad spent his first winter pulling people out of mudholes on highway 36 that goes thru this area. That was in the 30's and the highway wasn't much more than a dirt and gravel road at the time.
Then there was the time Grandad had his state truck blocking the road. An Irate driver pulled up behind him and got out to give him a peice of his mind. As soon as Big Charlie stepped out of his truck, the guy just said "nevermind" and went back to his car.
He was a jolly character. Always had Milky Way candy bars and plenty of bottles of Coke on hand when any of us grandkids came to visit. I think that's where I got my addiction to both of those goodies.
As you can see he was a veteran. Fought in WW1. The White family has always been strong supporters of the United States. My ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War.
Big Charlie was always at the American Legion dances helping out on saturday nights. He even drug me along a few times. Provided some colorful entertainment for a young lad.
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