Chuck Walgenbach

January 27, 2011. This man sparred with Ernie "Indian Red" Lopez in the 3rd Street Gym in downtown Los Angeles. As a portfolio manager, he's made 15 to 20% for million-dollar clients. He's a trusted adviser, problem-solver, and a great friend. He's my brother, Chuck Walgenbach.  During one of our summer pilgrimages to Bass Lake, California, suffice it to say that Chuck's athletic ability afforded him a rescue of a family member.  As an aside, Bass Lake forms one of my earliest memories of my life.  I was five and was walking along a paved and winding utility road of a campground with my left hand clutched in my Dad's right hand.

 

Chuck enjoying a good laugh outside in the parking lot of Acapulco Restaurant in Pasadena.  We were celebrating Mom's birthday.  

Chuck is smart.  He understands how important dignity is to the individual and that it is not to be trifled with.  When my mom was in the hospital the first night, Chuck brought her a tube of red lipstick for her to put her best face forward, and he brought Double-Doubles with grilled onions at In-and-Out for each of us and so we shared a meal together.  The irony is that Mom looked healthy, she looked pretty good in the hospital.  I did not understand why she was in the hospital in the first place.  She didn't look sick, but the doctors told her she was sick, that she needed to be evaluated and watched.  But I am sure that once they learned that she had excellent insurance, that they saw an opportunity to use it and her life like an ATM card.  Charlen even made the remark that my mom looked terrific, that her lips (without lipstick) looked bright and healthy.  And they did.  She looked good. We should have taken her home then, over the doctor's recommendations.

Chuck is also responsible for booking an audition for us--me, Tom, Joe, Dad, and himself--at the Family Feud recording studio in Hollywood at Hollywood and Vine.  This was during the years when Richard Dawson, 1932-2012, hosted Family Feud from 1976 to 1985.  It was back in its heyday.  The show was popular with Dawson kissing all of the lady contestants.  But Chuck was the one who booked it.  We showed up, got lined up along a row of podiums and were solicited top answers for certain questions.  But we weren't selected.  We gave great answers. Don't know why we weren't picked.  But that was quite an effort by Chuck.  But that was Chuck, who would go beyond the ordinary and deliver rich experiences to those he loved.  Each of us are richer to have that experience, that memory.  That was one of the ways that Chuck would honor and edify his brothers and his father, a way for him to bring us together in a wonderful celebration. When we left, we stopped at an old Hollywood restaurant for a celebratory beverage. God, I miss those days.  Thank you, Chuck.  You are terrific.