biography

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Biography

"He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world is mad."

Rafael Sabatini

charles with babysitter.jpg (53922 bytes) 1/2/19 Born in Little Rock, AR.

1921 Family moves to Los Angeles.

1922 Father dies of TB.

1926 Mother remarries.

1927 Mother dies of TB.

1927-29 Enrolled at the McKinley Industrial School for Boys in Van Nuys.

1/29 Liberated from McKinley, returns to Los Angeles to live with his grandmother.

1929-31 Happy.

with mother - for site.jpg (13245 bytes) 1933 Gets on a freight train in LA and travels informally by rail for a year.

3/3/35 Enlists in California National Guard.

9/7/35 Enlists for three years in regular army, March Field, CA.

9/36-10/38 Stationed in the Philippines, at Clark Field. See artwork from this period.

12/3/38 Discharged. Spends the next 102 days in Los Angeles – and then little boy charles.jpg (15938 bytes)

3/39 Reenlists.

3/14/39 Assigned to the Presidio, at Monterey, CA.

1942 Marries Lora or Lara Bell Fridley, in Azusa, CA (everybody called her Wanda)

11/42 Fort Benning, GA. Infantry school, 2/23-5/18/43

1943 Shipped overseas; assigned to Third Army, Company C 11^th tank battalion, 10^th armored division, Europe. A tank commander, he fights in the Battle of the Bulge and is awarded the Silver Star (second highest medal for bravery in the US, after the Medal of Honor), the Bronze Star, for outstanding bravery, the Purple Heart with one oak leaf cluster, and the Luxembourg Croix de Guerre. charles 1937.jpg (15841 bytes)

Studies art at Biarritz American University, France, between V-E Day and date shipped back to the US.

11/45 Separates from army.

12/45 Reenlists for 3 years at rank of 1^st sergeant.

1946 Tank battalion, Fort Benning – one year.

1947 Five poems published in "Outcast Poets," published by Alicat Bookshop Press.

1947-49 Kyushu, Japan. Runs Army of Occupation radio station WLKH, and is promoted to Master Sergeant.

1948 Proletarian Laughter published by Alicat Bookshop Press.

5/49 Divorce from Lara/Wanda.

7/49 Separates from army at rank of Master Sergeant. Gives mailing address of general delivery, Dallas, TX.

8/49-10/49 Attends Universitarias de Belles Artes, Lima, Peru, studying art and art history in the graduate program. University officials rusticate him when they learn that he has neither undergraduate degree nor high school diploma.

10/49-11/49 Lives at the King Edward Hotel near Times Square, New York City.

12/49 Reenlists. doing a broadcast.jpg (20755 bytes)

12/49-2/50 Takes administrative course at Warren AFB in Wyoming; completed in 2/50.

3/50-11/50 Assigned to Hamilton AFB, near Novato, CA, with liaison duty through 4/52. He may have worked as a recruiting officer in Santa Barbara during part of this time; at another point he goes into San Francisco on weekends to write.

4/7/50 Promoted to Tech. Sergeant by Hamilton base commander.

4/15/51 Home address in Santa Barbara.

7/52 Marries Mary Jo Norton in Santa Barbara.

melancholic state.jpg (21329 bytes)

3/53-6/53 Treated for depression at the hospital at Parks AFB.

8/53 Separates from air force at end of enlistment, giving future mailing address in Birmingham, AL, his mother-in-law’s home and florist shop.

1953 High Priest of California published; lives briefly in Birmingham.

1/28/54 Reenlists.

3/54 Assigned to Palm Beach AFB, Palm Beach, FL. Lives in West Palm Beach. usaf pr type photo 2.jpg (11658 bytes)

1955 Pick-up published.

1/55 Assigned to Harmon AFB, Newfoundland, for 18 months.

1956 High Priest of California and Wild Wives published.

Assigned to Moody AFB, Valdosta, GA. Commutes on weekends to West Palm Beach, and edits base newspaper.

8/1/56 Sent to Mitchell AFB in New York on temporary duty so he can appear on Mike Wallace’s quiz program, "The Big Surprise."

9/56 NCO in charge of information services at Moody AFB.

11/2/56 Resigns from active duty as Tech. Sergeant.

1958 Honey Gal (The Black Mass of Brother Springer) and Lust is a Woman published.

Spends 3 months in Barbados and St. Thomas with Mary Jo and her son Steve.

12/58 Earns GED.

9/59-6/61 Attends Palm Beach Community College; either right before or right after, he is assistant editor of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, which was published on Singer Island, over the bridge from Palm Beach. smoking a cigarette.jpg (16731 bytes)

1960 The Woman Chaser published.

1961 Understudy for Love published.

1961-64 Attends University of Miami. Rents a room near campus and commutes to West Palm Beach on weekends.

1962 No Experience Necessary published.

Cockfighter published.

Earns Bachelor's Degree in English.

1963 The Machine in Ward Eleven published.

1963-64 Lives in Coral Gables.

Begins writing mystery reviews for the Miami News.

1/64 Earns Master of Arts in English at University of Miami.. burnt orange heretic photo.jpg (42984 bytes)

8/64 Begins teaching at the University of Miami.

1967 Poontang and Other Poems self-published.

1971 The Burnt Orange Heresy published.

The Hombre From Sonora published.

1974 Film version of Cockfighter produced and released; Willeford writes the screenplay and plays the role of Ed charles and betsy smaller.jpg (17160 bytes) Middleton.