TWU stalwart Charles W. “Charley” Fox, former President of Air Transport Division Local 502 and a retired International Representative, passed away Jan. 14, 2009 at his home in Agoura Hills, CA. He was 88. 

A member of “The Greatest Generation,” Charley served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was stationed throughout the West Pacific theatre and saw action in Luzon, New Guinea and the Philippines. He won two bronze stars for bravery and a medal commemorating the libera•tion of the Philippines. Originally from Syracuse, NY, he settled in California after the War, and attended Northrop Aeronautical Institute on the GI bill. After graduating in 1951, he went to work for American Airlines and joined Local 502 in Los Angeles.

He got involved with union worked immediately, serving as a shop steward from 1951 to 1954 when he was elected to the Local’s Executive Board.  The membership elected him Local 502 President 1956, a post he held until 1968 when he was named an International Representative for the West Coast.

Charley retired in 1983, but remained active in TWU, helping Local 502 and several other Locals set up retiree associations.

His daughter, Carol, told the Express that her father never lost his love of political action, and regularly volunteered his time for local and statewide candidates until well into the ‘90’s.  At right, this 1955 photo shows Charley addressing a meeting of a CIO legislative conference in Los Angeles. Below (circa 1968), Charley with then International President Matthew Guinan (center) and Jim Horst, long-time Director of the TWU Air Transport Division (left). 

She also said: “My father loved TWU, the labor movement and the ideals it was built on. He loved avi•ation, and he really loved fighting for the men and women he worked with. He believed that everyone should work hard (that’s what he told the kids) and that everyone should have equal rights, dignity, a voice, equitable pay and good working conditions. He believed in a fair deal, an excellent contract and legislation that protects workers.”

Brother Fox is survived by his wife of 62 years, Elizabeth; sons Glenn and James; daughters Carol Fox and Catherine Fox Anderson; grandson Benjamin Charles Fox Anderson; a sister and brother-in•law, as well as family in the Syracuse area and North Carolina.