I don't remember just how we met,
but we became good friends outside of school. We had a nucleus of
friends and Charlie's home seemed to be the focal point where our group
would meet regardless of where we were going. His warmth and personality
came from his mom and dad , who were gracious and charming whenever you
stepped into their home. Many a Sunday I would be finishing dinner at
home and the door bell would ring and who would be standing there but
Charlie. "Hey," he would say, "Mom and Dad want you
to come down and have dinner with us."
"I just finished dinner," I'd say.
"I don't care," he would say, and off
we would go.
One particular
memory in school that impressed me was in the library. We were
talking for almost the whole period. Charlie had a book in his
hand and had read almost half the book during our BS session. That
impressed me; I was a slow reader.
We were in the army
at approximately the same time and were both stationed in Germany. He
had picked up an old Mercedes coup (in pretty good condition) and used
to drop by. At that time I was stationed in Hanau and he was
stationed only a few miles away.
My regret is that I had
lost contact with Charlie and you don't get a second chance in life. This
was a tough lesson.
-Frank Mihlstin, Class of June, 1953