By Louise Deegan – Originally published in the 2010 Founder’s Review
Charles was born in 1934 in a home about a mile from where he now lives. He has an older brother, John L., and a younger sister, Eula, both born in Ocala. He also has a half-brother, Robert Carter. Charles lives on property that has been in the family for over 100 years. His grandmother traded a pair of mules, a surrey, and some pails of lard for the 26 acres.
The Browns have a long history in the Belleview area. John Brown, Charles’ father, was a familiar figure in Belleview, often seen wearing his straw hat and smoking a pipe. Born south of Belleview in 1898, John was both a contractor and a farmer. Charles’ grandfather, Charles Hopkins Brown, came to the area as a lumberman from Ontario, Canada, where his father, E. F. Brown, had already established a medical practice as a doctor and surgeon.
By 1901, Charles Hopkins had an office in the Hotel Sanitaria, now known as the Lake View Hotel near Lake Lillian. Charles’ grandmother, Emma Thorn Brown, was the first person to ride the train from Belleview to Ocala in the 1930s.
Fred Brown Sr., who owned the land where Belleview High School now stands, and Nick Brown, who farmed the land where Belleview Middle School is located, were Charles’ uncles. Charles jokingly advises against asking him about his family tree, saying it intertwines so much it could make you dizzy—not due to anything illegal or immoral, just sheer complexity.
He recalls visiting his Aunt “T” and Uncle Nick, where they shelled peanuts for the next year’s crop. Aunt “T” was blind, and wires were strung from the house to various buildings on the property so she could navigate by feeling them with a stick. On the property where Charles now lives, they once grew watermelons, corn, and velvet beans.
Carol Nott, Talmadge Murphy. 2nd row: Rita Harbison, Robert Jones, David
Stevens,Herbert Horner, Freeman Hoover. 3rd row: Ted Monroe, Kenneth
Shaulis, Lawrence Monroe,Charles Brown, Clinton Nichols. 4th row: Suzanne
Kempell, Barbara O’Neal, Carlyle Bottleman, Marie Weeks, Donnis Mixon.
5th row: Buddy Crews, unknown, Bruce Perry, Joyce Shannon, Ramona Horner.
Standing Teacher Mr. C.H.E. Johnston.
Charles attended Belleview School from first through eighth grade. He rode the bus, driven by Mr. Shaulis, and caught it across the road from Pasta Faire. If he missed the bus, he had to walk to school. On cold mornings, his brother John L. would build a fire, and they’d put it out as soon as they saw the school bus crest the hill. Charles later attended Ocala Junior and Senior High Schools until the 11th grade. By 12th grade, he had a 1938 Chevrolet to drive himself. Sports weren’t an option for kids from Belleview due to the lack of transportation home after practices and games. Charles recalls singing “Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall” on the bus ride.
His first-grade teacher, Mrs. Wasson, would correct students by tapping the backs of their hands with a wooden ruler. His third- and fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Bennett, was from Hawaii and introduced the class to Hawaiian culture by having them make a map of an island, craft leis, and see a grass skirt.
Each week, students brought money to school to purchase savings stamps, which could eventually be cashed in for a savings bond. Lunch at Belleview School was originally served in a hall with the kitchen in a small room at the back entrance. Later, a cafeteria was built behind the school, which Charles loved because it allowed him to sit down to eat. He remembers building huts out of pine straw during recess.
On their farm, they had a cow named Bossie, and each morning they rounded her up for fresh milk. They’d trade eggs at Gale’s store for various items. Without electricity or running water, they preserved their tomato plants by covering them with newspapers or dirt during cold snaps. In return for helping in the tomato fields, Charles’ father let the children keep the earnings from one row of tomatoes, which they used to buy school clothes for the next year.
Charles fondly remembers Saturday nights spent at Mr. and Mrs. Staton’s house, eating pinto beans and listening to the Grand Ole Opry. He, his sister Eula, and Frances Staton would play Old Maids.
In the 10th and 11th grades, Charles worked at the Ocala Drive-In Theater with Johnny West, passing out fliers for upcoming movies and giving away two free tickets to each business. He earned $15 a week for six nights’ work. Weekend double features sometimes kept him out until 1:30 a.m. Charles recalls a night in June 1950 when the movie was interrupted by the news that North Korea had invaded South Korea.
After graduating high school in 1953, Charles enlisted in the Army and served for three years, including time in South Korea. When he returned to Belleview, jobs were scarce, so in 1956, encouraged by his brother John L., he joined the Air Force. Over the next 24 years, he worked in security and logistics, handling war plans and organizing everything from transportation to supplies for assaults.
Charles married Dorothy Dotzler on December 17, 1961, at the old Methodist church in Belleview. Bristow Hopper sang, Fay Hatcher played piano, and the reception was held in the newly built Hanson Hall. Charles recalls the day being so hot that the rice thrown at the couple stuck to him. They had two sons: Charles Edward, born in 1963, and James Eugene, born in 1965, both in Bellevue, Nebraska.
During Charles’ Air Force career, the family moved so often that by the time their sons graduated, they had attended 12 different schools. Charles served at bases around the world, including McDill in Florida, Vandenberg in California, Goose Bay in Labrador, Offutt in Nebraska, McCoy in Florida, and Takhl in Thailand. At Charleston, South Carolina, he was present when a C-5A, a massive aircraft that could carry four Greyhound buses, landed—and promptly lost a wheel, which Senator Mendon Rivers waved off by noting the plane still had 27 others. Charles also served at Anderson in Guam, Eglin in Florida, and Eielson in Alaska, where he eventually retired. During his career, Charles received numerous medals, including the Meritorious Service Medal, Outstanding Unit Award, and Good Conduct Medal.
After retiring from the Air Force, Charles and his family drove from Alaska to Florida, visiting Yellowstone Park along the way. He later worked for Clairson Industries (Closet Maid) from 1981 to 1993.
Charles and his wife, Dot, have been active in the Masons and Eastern Star for years and joined the Belleview Historical Society in 1999. Today, Dot is the President and Charles is the Treasurer, and both are dedicated to preserving Belleview’s history. Along with other members, they’ve worked to restore the old Civic League building, which was built in 1915 for community gatherings. The building was eventually turned over to the Historical Society, and they’ve since made numerous repairs and improvements.
With roots in the area that stretch back over 100 years, Charles continues to work passionately to ensure the history of Belleview remains known and cherished.
