Page 54 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2022 - Online Magazine
P. 54
Exceptional
SENIORS
A Story
Redemption
OF
Charley Dunn by Cheryl Goforth
In 1949, his dad quit his job The following year, 1953, he and
and moved to Lubbock to start five of his friends joined the Army
bootlegging. By that time, Charley, on the buddy system, guaranteeing
a pre-teen, was helping his dad they could all stick together. With
with the business. “It would get hot training complete, the six friends
in one area,” he said, “so we had to boarded a plane for Hawaii, the
move around to not get caught.” first stop before Korea. They were
detained in Honolulu where they
Charley’s junior high locker was set were informed that the war was
up to sell shots of whiskey on an over. They served the next two
“honor” system—whiskey he stole and a half years of enlistment in
from his father, which made him Honolulu, living in the historic
$2 of pure profit a day. Quite the Schofield barracks.
businessman.
During his stint in the Army,
Finally, an intervention came Charley became best friends with
harley was born in 1937 through a Lubbock police officer a serviceman he called Lowimore
in Santa Anna, Texas who had an amiable relationship who, like the police officer, was
Con Chap-Eades Ranch. with Charley. He caught him one a great source of inspiration and
After several moves, his family day and said to him, “You’re going encouragement to him. Charley
settled in Robstown, Texas. Young to Gatesville if you keep getting in followed his advice, completed his
Charley sold papers and shined trouble. We need to do something GED, and was eventually promoted
shoes on the streets. That was the about that.” Though Charley was to Corporal.
first hint that he might be a born only sixteen, the police officer
entrepreneur. enlisted him in the Army by posing Lowimore taught him how to make
as his father, signing the necessary money by loaning cash to other
By the time he was five, he was papers. servicemen. Simply put, Charley
already drinking with his father would loan them cash then collect
and smoking with his mother. After Charley finished his basic what was owed the day they were
“My dad and his friends would training, he went home on leave, paid. Between his salary and his
get me drunk, then throw coins but then failed to return to base on loan business, by the time he got
in the chicken pen for me to pick time. He was caught, locked up, out of the Army in December of
up, laughing as I fell down in that and court martialed, then released 1957, he had saved over $10,000.
mess,” said Charley. with an honorable discharge after
proving he was just sixteen. When he returned stateside, he
54 Lubbock Senior Link
