[coosa1.ged]
Charles attended East Grand Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and was
baptized there by Brother Fowler when he was twelve years old (1933). He
said that his mother was upset that Bro. Fowler baptized him at that
time. She thought that he was not yet old enough and didn't really know
what he was doing. Brother Fowler told her that he had spent a lot of
time talking with Charles and it was his belief that Charles did know
what he was doing, and that it was an appropriate time for him to be
baptized.
When he was growing up, Charles and his family lived at 1326 So.
Henderson, across the street from his Aunt Laura and when his Uncle
Lonnie moved to Dallas, he and his family moved in just two doors down
from Charles' family. Three Allison families on the same street!
Charles graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas, TX, in
June 1939. He served as a pharmacists' mate in the U. S. Navy during
World War II, from February 1942 until February 1946. After that he
worked for Merchant's State Bank in Dallas for three years.
Charles married Emma Lou Rougeot, but that marriage ended in divorce
in January 1951. They had no children.
From 1949 to 1955, Charles worked as a private duty Licensed
Vocational Nurse, and in 1955 he went to San Antonio where he worked at
San Antonio State Hospital and went to San Antonio Jr. College where he
got an Associate Degree in Psychiatric Nursing in 1957.
From September 1957 until 1961, Charles worked at Timberlawn
Psychiatric Hospital in Dallas, and in 1961 worked as a private duty
nurse for H. L. Hunt, Jr., for about six months. Then he went back to
Timberlawn Hospital to work again until 1968, when he wen to San Angelo.
At San Angelo State University, Charles earned a B.S. in Nursing in 1971,
and from 1971 until 1973, he worked at Shannon West Texas Memorial
Hospital.
In January 1973, Charles had his first heart attack. With his
recovery from that, he went back to Timberlawn in Dallas to work until
September 1975. In September 1975 Charles went to University of Texas
Medical Hospital in Galveston, worked there, and earned a Master of
Nursing degree in 1977. He continued working there until his retirement
in 1986. At the time of his retirement, he was Director of Nursing in
the Department of Psychiatry at University of Texas Medical Hospital in
Galveston.
In 1976, Charles had a second heart attack (while in Galveston), and
in October 1980, he had bypass surgery, replacing five of the arteries.
He has had three angioplasties. In February 1991 Charles was diagnosed
with cancer, had radical right neck surgery, and removal of a portion of
his tongue. With the help of therapy, he is able to speak very clearly
and to swallow correctly. We use our tongue in a lot of ways that we
take for granted. At the present time (April 1992) the cancer is in
remission, and Charles is doing well.
Charles moved to Whitney, Texas, to be near his sister, Sybil.
Sybil's husband had died, and her hearing and vision made her dependent
on other people for many things, so Charles moved there to be able to
help her.
Several Allison family members are buried in Hillsboro, Texas, very
close to where Sybil and Charles live, so Charles has been taking care of
their gravesites for the past few years.
Sources: Charles Ottis Allison, Jr.; Newspaper clipping