Charles “Chuck” Edward Trevathan

Published 4:42 pm Monday, September 30, 2013

Charles (Chuck) Edward Trevathan, 81, died at home in Columbus, N.C. Saturday, Sept.  28  after a valiant 10-year battle against prostate cancer.  He was born on Aug. 4, 1932 in Walnut Cove, N.C.;  the youngest of seven children of the late Jesse Ernest Trevathan and Mary Bailey Trevathan.

He received a degree in electrical engineering from NC State and was an avid Wolfpack fan his entire life. After college he served two years in the Army.

The majority of his career was spent working for NASA at the Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. He led the design team that developed NASA’s first standard spacecraft computer-a design so good it has continued to be flown.

At the end of his NASA career, he was manager of the Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite, launched from the Shuttle Discovery.  This satellite provided vital data that allowed scientists to better understand the causes of ozone depletion and to measure the role of human activities in atmospheric changes. A Wall Street Journal article praised him for bringing in the mission on time and under budget and further stated that the project “has become a model at NASA for how to manage a big science project.”

After his retirement, Chuck and his wife, Helen, returned to their beloved North Carolina, settling  in Columbus.  He drew up plans for their home and worked with the builders to complete it.  He then put years of energy into his favorite activity-digging in the dirt, landscaping and growing beautiful flowers for Helen to arrange. He and Helen loved travel, especially road trips.  They played in bridge tournaments all over the country, achieving the level of Silver Life Masters. He volunteered on the board of the 4-H, took part in tutoring programs, was active in the local Democratic party and served in the Columbus Lions Club. As a Lion he was particularly proud that while he was president of the club, women were first admitted. He had a kind and generous heart.