Charles E. Elliott III ’50

Charlie died March 10, 2014.

Charlie graduated from Columbia High in Maplewood, N.J. At Princeton he majored in English, was recipient of the Wanamaker English Language Prize, and belonged to Prospect Club. In 1951 he began a three-year enlistment in the Marine Corps, which included a Korean tour.

After a brief stint as a McGraw-Hill representative, Charlie earned a master’s in English from Michigan State University and a Ph.D. in linguistics from Michigan. He remained in Michigan, teaching at the Ferris Institute and Lansing Community College before he went to the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur as a visiting professor. His teaching career then took him to Cornell, Ithaca College, and Tompkins Cortland Community College. He retired after returning to Cornell as a consultant.

Charlie’s enthusiasm for teaching came through when he trained Literacy Volunteers and taught flight simulation and computer operation at a senior center. He was a voracious reader whose fascination with life led him to explore many interests, including watercolors, poetry, classical music, woodworking, photography, gardening, and stamp collecting.

Our sympathy goes to his wife, Patricia, whom he married in 1955; his children, Katie, Chas, Bill, and John; his brother, Walt; and seven grandchildren.