Flowers, Charles Howard

Charles Howard Flowers, Harvard Class of ’64, was always a standout. He wrote, co-wrote, or ghost-wrote well over 100 books, as well as numerous articles, plays, opera librettos, scripts, newspaper columns, and poems. He combined a solid work ethic with a sense of mischief and joy that drew people to him as the mother lode of fun and adventure. He passed away at the age of 81 on October 30, 2024, near his home in Purdys, New York, where he had lived for 25 years.

Charles Flowers was born on Nov. 12, 1942, in Knoxville. The Knoxville News Sentinel published a notice that Howard Fischer Flowers, his father, had been granted leave from boot camp at Ft. Benning, Georgia, to go home to meet his newborn son. Shortly after, Corporal Flowers shipped out to North Africa and Italy for the next four years, eventually participating in the Liberation of Rome. Charles spent his first tender years with his mother, Rose Canup Flowers, who served as a home front nurse, as well as his Aunt Pearl and grandparents…a gentle environment amidst a world at war.

At the end of World War II, the little family moved to Chattanooga. Two sisters, Jean and Nancy, joined Charles in rapid succession. His first-grade teacher at Sunnyside School strongly recommended that Charles have a set of encyclopedias! He sang in the Chattanooga Boys Choir until, as a matter of course, his voice deepened. He often praised the remarkable librarians at the old Chattanooga Public Library for the collections they curated, which introduced him to great literature, poetry, and the vast world beyond our doorsteps.

At age 12, the Chattanooga Times interviewed Charles on the intricacies of his unique hobby, raising seahorses. Throughout junior high and high school, he joined every activity he could squeeze in while still having time to explore and develop respect for the rich East Tennessee outdoors. He played trumpet in several orchestras and bands; joined the Thespians club and played the lead in the play Our Town; led literary clubs; was in ROTC; and excelled academically in every subject he studied.

Charles was the City High School Class of 1960 valedictorian and won several scholarships, including a National Merit, Harvard National, Saltonstall Scholarships and the Mallinckrodt Scholarship Award, Harvard College, as well as support from local clubs.

During Charlie’s four years at Harvard, 1960-1964, he continued to display features already appreciated while in high school. His suitemate Steve Wright describes him as having a brilliant intellect with social skills that allowed him to make friends easily, a refined sense of humor, and a creative and whimsical nature. He made cherished lifelong friends, including mentor Gary Gober, also of Chattanooga. His favorite Harvard memories were of thespian pursuits, especially directing Tamburlaine the Great and 27 Wagons Full of Cotton. An English and French major, he also took every opportunity to slip off to NYC to see museums, ballets, operas, and Broadway plays.

During college summers, he worked as a general and police beat reporter for the Chattanooga Times, the beginning of his devotion to publications of all kinds, especially newspapers. The NY State Press Association named him Columnist of the Year. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1964. He then hitchhiked through Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey “seeking adventure.” Oh, the tales he told!

Charles taught at Fremont High School and Palmdale High School in LA and was head of the English Department at the Catalina Island School for Boys. He was hired to teach English and literature but also introduced students to opera, theater, and the wonders of the wider world. As an assistant professor at the University of Rochester in NY, he taught creative writing, English, and American and dramatic literature. The NY State English Council named him Professor of the Year. He hosted an evening show on NPR TV on Rochester’s art and theater scene. As a critic, Charlie was tough but kind, and his colleagues adopted his modest tagline, “Or so it seems to me.”

As an author, he won numerous awards, including the Thomas R. Coward Prize for his first novel, It Never Rains in Los Angeles, a crime story set in a fictitious high school in Watts and based on his teaching experience there.

He was awarded a Mark DeVoto Fellowship, attended the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and was a Fellow at the McDowell Colony.

In the early 1970s, Charles encouraged friends in Chattanooga to celebrate the contributions of singer Bessie Smith, a native of the city. He subsequently produced the Bessie Smith Symposium. In the early 1980s, the Bessie Smith Strut became a popular part of Chattanooga’s highly successful Riverbend Festival. In the late 1990s, the founders and other city leaders made the Bessie Smith Cultural Center and Chattanooga African American Museum an integral part of the city’s cultural offerings. The collection focuses on local history and culture.

The New York City Opera chose his libretto of Our Giraffe (he commissioned the score from composer Sorrel (Doris) Hayes, a fellow Chattanoogan) to be performed, with nine other winners, at their 2008 VOX showcase of new works. The unusual story was inspired by the exotic gift of a young giraffe from the Pasha of Egypt to King Charles X of France in a grand diplomatic gesture.

This is some of what Charlie did, but the reasons he was beloved by so many are who he was. He stayed in touch with family, childhood friends, colleagues and former students his entire life.

At his core, he was a teacher. He was the spark that lit an idea, a conversation, a room, a new friendship. He loved to connect people he thought could help each other, and his friends were all ages from many walks of life. If he saw talent, creativity, or promise of any sort in people, he introduced them to like-minded spirits. His taste in music, art, and clothing was eclectic, amusing, and appealing.

Over and over people have told us Charlie was an inspiration, a mentor, and, most of all, a friend. At the end of an adventure with him, he almost always asked, “But did you have fun?”

Yes. Yes, we did. Thank you, Charlie.

If you would like to contribute a memorial to him, simply help someone in need, someone who least expects it and could use some fun. For those who like to make memorial gifts to worthy causes, please consider “The Bessie.” See info below.*

Charles is survived by his sister, Jean Flowers; sister, Nancy Flowers Eisenbarth (Peter Eisenbarth), nephew, Daryl Eisenbarth (Marianna Good), niece, Kate Eisenbarth Burn (Anthony Burn), great-nephew, Alexander and great-niece, Amelia Burn; beloved cousins, Bill Canup, Elizabeth Canup, Steven Canup (Karen), Erica and Brian Canup; David Ellis (Pam), Jean Ellis Lovmo, Mark Ellis, and literally hundreds of friends and colleagues who will never forget him.

* The Bessie Smith Cultural Center at The Chattanooga African American Museum https://www.bessiesmithcc.org/
200 East Martin Luther King Blvd.
Chattanooga, TN 37403