Dennnis Nagao and I were reminiscing about Chuck Cares. He was such a kind mind with a gentle soul. Chuck and I were both from Cleveland (Cleveland Hts or Shaker Hts), so we had that in common and we talked about growing up there on ocassion. I'll never forget that ad his family did for VOLVO - the entire Cares family outfitted with a Volvo Station Wagon, with the roof rack and wood panels and such. It was great visiting with him at Terry Brown's retirement party. Really, the staff members at SNRE at that time I attended school in the late 70's and early 80's (last century) were like family to me. They were tough to please at times, but generally a compassionate bunch. I took Chuck's History of Landscape Architecture class when I was in grad school. There was one lecture where we'd all been up late the night before and Chuck was going on about something of relevance to the profession when we heard a loud thud. It was Steve Spinner's head hitting the table after he dozed off in class. It broke everyone up, including Chuck. What a dear man. He will me missed!

Patricia Sacks, Project Manager/Landscape Architect, National Park Service, Denver Colorado, pat_sacks@nps.gov

Chuck was a longtime friend of mine, a great colleague, and a member of the poker club.  Of course, I remain a member on probation (it takes a long time to become a full-time member!).  Chuck was always a fun person to spend time with.  He loved Michigan athletics and had probably the best seats available in Crisler Arena.  He was devoted to the University and to the Landscape Architecture program here.  When I first came to the University, Chuck was the chair of Landscape Architecture and had overseen the program move from an off-campus location to become part of the School.  There was a great spirit of camaraderie in the program at that time, which I am sure originated from Chuck, who wasalways so friendly, outgoing, and dedicated to the students and the School.

Chuck was also a gentle soul.  I remember when he came to my 50th birthday party, he gave me a walking stick.  He told me that when I get stressed or angry, just take out the stick and sand it a little smoother, and my anger will go away.  Well, unfortunately that stick disappeared into sawdust, but in the process it did relieve me of some stress. 

Chuck always attended all SNRE functions and would be one of the people that former students would love to see.  His dedication to our School and to our students lasted well beyond his retirement, and I think the quality of the LA program was one of his proudest accomplishments.

Finally, a little poker talk...  Chuck was always one to tell a joke he heard (never off-color) , even if it took an hour!  He and Jonathan Bulkley would then go on about their Jack Russell dogs, while Terry Brown, Ken Polakowski, and Paul Nowak would work hard trying to get their minds back on playing poker.  I don’t know his final statistics, but Chuck always seemed to do well in poker (unlike Jonathan).  Anyway, he was a joy to be around and a great and loyal friend.

Jim Diana, Professor, SNRE