H. Charles Wolf
Alumni Citizenship Award
B.S. Chemical Engineering, 1981
Harry Charles “Charlie” Wolf Jr. learned in June 2002 that he had an aggressive and deadly type of brain tumor. He was given six months to live.
Four years later, Wolf is not only alive, but he has inspired those suffering from similar diseases. Wolf has written two books, Damn the Statistics, I Have a Life to Live! and Alive and Fighting: Coping with a Brain Tumor and a Bone Marrow Transplant.
“Charlie could have spent his time with his family trying to recover. Instead, he decided that he was going to help others,” said Amber Cain, Wolf’s nominator for this award. “To do this, he wrote books so that people can understand what it was like to deal with brain cancer.”
Wolf, who lives in Highland Ranch, Colorado, has received e-mail messages from people around the world, from California to New Zealand. One woman wrote: “I want you to know that you helped me so much during my husband’s illness. He wasn’t able to express himself, but because of your book I realized that he did know what was going on around him and he knew everyone up to the end.” Another woman from New Zealand wrote: “I have written the title of your book, DAMN THE STATISTICS, I HAVE A LIFE TO LIVE, in big black letters on pieces of paper and have them stationed all over the house. I find them very inspirational.”
Wolf’s efforts extend beyond his writing. He is active with Reel Recovery, a national nonprofit organization that conducts fly-fishing retreats for men recovering from life-threatening cancer. He was one of the first men to participate in the program, and now participates to talk to others about his experiences. He also organized “Charlie’s Angels,” a team that raises money for the National Brain Tumor Foundation and the Colorado Neurological Institute.
Before being stricken, Wolf worked in the U.S. Government’s nuclear weapons program, where he managed plutonium-238 facilities in support of the Department of Energy’s Office of Space Systems in the successful use of the radioisotope thermoelectric generator system on the Cassini mission to explore Saturn. He also managed the effort to clean up a facility at Rocky Flats in Colorado that had drawn national attention when the energy department labeled it the most dangerous facility in America. Wolf later played a role in the demolition of the facility, which was the first nuclear facility demolished and removed in the United States. The site is now being converted to a wildlife park.
Wolf remembers fondly his time at Ohio State, especially the day he placed first in a 100-meter dash competition and beat football greats Ray Griffin, Todd Bell, and Ron Springs. He also won an intramural 60-meter dash, and still has the medals to commemorate the victories. He held the intramural sprint records for many years.
“The Citizenship Award is the greatest award I have ever received,” he said. “To be recognized by the Alumni Association for distinguished service to humanity beyond the call of business or professional duty is unbelievable.”
