News 2015: UMass Dartmouth organizes memorial for benefactor and business leader Chuck Charlton

News 2015: UMass Dartmouth organizes memorial for benefactor and business leader Chuck Charlton
UMass Dartmouth organizes memorial for benefactor and business leader Chuck Charlton

UMass Dartmouth will hold memorial service for Earle Perry “Chuck” Charlton II on September 18, 2015

A businessman and a philanthropist, Chuck Charlton was a friend and benefactor to UMass Dartmouth and to its Charlton College of Business, which was named for his grandfather, E.P. Charlton.

A memorial service will be held for Earle Perry “Chuck” Charlton II on Friday, September 18, 2015 at noon at Lawrence Hall at UMass Dartmouth’s Woodland Commons.  Earle Perry Charlton II, known to his many friends as "Chuck," passed away on May 24, 2015. A businessman and a philanthropist, he was a friend and benefactor to UMass Dartmouth and to the University’s Charlton College of Business, which was named for his grandfather, E.P. Charlton.

Milestones in Chuck Charlton’s relationship with UMass Dartmouth

1997: The Charlton Trust makes a $3 million gift to support construction of the new College of Business building. At the time, this was the largest single gift in the history of the University of Massachusetts, prompting President William Bulger to credit Chuck Charlton with transforming the philanthropic culture of the University.

2000: Charlton Trust provides $60,000 to UMass Dartmouth for purchase of electronic marquee at the front of the campus to inform arriving students, faculty, staff, and visitors of campus events.

2006: A new required class for all Charlton College first-year students was launched, focusing on business organizations via the inspirational Charlton family story. Professor Steven White and Lecturer Godwin Ariguzo co-created the course, which familiarizes students with the late Earle P. Charlton, a pioneering Fall River entrepreneur who opened a chain of 53 retail department stores that would become part of the Woolworths brand during the early-20th century. Students read the Charlton biography and compete in a business plan competition. Funding of $50,000 for the course and the competition was provided by the Charlton Trusts.

2008: Charlton Trust pledges $3 million for expansion of the Charlton College of Business, with $1.5 million contingent on the university raising $1.5 million from other sources.

2014: UMass Dartmouth announced that it has met the Charlton Trust's challenge to raise $1.5 million for the expansion of the internationally accredited Charlton College of Business building. The Trust had pledged $3 million for the project with $1.5 million contingent on the university raising $1.5 million from other sources. The Charlton College of Business Learning Pavilion, expected to cost a total of $15 million, will provide new spaces for technology labs, group study areas, and "smart" classrooms, all to enhance and consolidate the learning experience for business students.