Charles Newton Carscallen (1906-2007)

Charles Newton Carscallen was born on this day, 112 years ago. In his memory, the Culbert Family History blog presents a biography by his daughter, Betty (Carscallen) Marmura, followed by a tribute written by his great-grandson, Simon Elias Marmura Brown.

Charles Newton Carscallen in his roadster on the grounds of Ontario Ladies' College in Whitby, Ontario, c1930.

CHARLES NEWTON CARSCALLEN: a biography by his daughter, Betty (Carscallen) Marmura

My father, Charles Newton Carscallen, was born in Chengtu, China on August 10, 1906. His parents, Hulda May (Culbert) Carscallen and Charles Rupert Carscallen were educational missionaries with the West China Mission.

Charles Newton Carscallen circa February 1907, age 6 months, in China.

Charlie with his mother, Hulda May (Culbert) Carscallen circa 1906 in China.

 

Baby Charlie with parents Hulda May & Charles Rupert Carscallen in China. Charlie was the first of four children.

In 1921, the family were on a year’s furlough in Canada. The two eldest children – my father, aged 15 and his sister Kathleen, aged 13, were left behind when their parents and younger siblings returned to China. Charlie Jnr. was placed at Albert College for his high school years and my Auntie Kay spent a year at school in Lucan, living with her grandparents, before entering Alma College in St. Thomas.

My father was an extremely shy man. What that experience cost him one can only guess. Whenever I asked him about it he would only say it was a “huge culture shock”. At Albert College he began to develop his talents in sketching and painting.

Sketch by Charles Newton Carscallen of his grandfather, Richard Culbert.

He was very involved with intercollegiate sports – particularly rugby. He loved all sport, and was a fine golfer and curler well into his senior years.

Victoria College Rugby Team, 1925. Charles Newton Carscallen in front row, third from right.

In 1924 he went on to Victoria College, University of Toronto. 

Charles Newton Carscallen (second from left). From the University of Toronto's Torontonensis yearbook, 1928.

Charles Carscallen and the Victoria College Dramatic Society, University of Toronto. From the 1928 Torontonensis yearbook.

His father was adamant that Charlie take a degree in Arts. This he did, but he no sooner received his degree than he left for the United States to study Automotive Engineering, his real and abiding interest. Summers he spent working with bridge building crews in southwestern Ontario, and with his Culbert grandparents on weekends.

In 1932 he returned to Toronto as a Professional Engineer and married my mother, Muriel Adelaide Mills whom he had met at Victoria College. 

Muriel Adelaide Mills, graduation from Victoria College, Toronto in 1928.

Charlie Carscallen and Muriel Mills were married by his father, Charlie Snr., in the Hart House Chapel, University of Toronto.

Muriel Adelaide Mills & Charles Newton Carscallen's wedding day on September 2nd, 1932 at Hart House Chapel, University of Toronto.

Certificate of Marriage for Charles Newton Carscallen & Muriel Adelaide Mills.

By the time my brother and I came along, Dad was working in the Engineering Department of General Motors in Oshawa, and had acquired a passion for photography.  Over the years he was a member of both the Toronto and the Ottawa Camera Club, and won a number of awards for his work. Dad never undertook anything that he didn’t do well!

In 1941 he joined the newly formed Royal Canadian Electrical Mechanical Engineers, (R.C.E.M.E.), and was from that time until his retirement involved with either the Army or the Department of National Defence. During World War II he was sent briefly to the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Centre in Detroit, then on in 1942 to spend the rest of the war in the U.K. Ministry of Supply in London, England. 

Charlie Carscallen seated on top of tank, second from left.

For the first six months after the war he conducted groups of British civilian engineers around Germany to factories, laboratories and proving grounds to interrogate German officers and engineers and examine equipment. Somehow the idea of Dad “interrogating” German engineers, or anyone else, makes me smile. My guess is that there were some extremely polite, civilized and highly technical exchanges.

Charlie Carscallen standing at right, with pipe.

When Dad returned to Canada in 1946 he was sent off, after a short furlough, to northern Manitoba to test tanks and other heavy equipment on tundra, and to assess the effects of permafrost on something or other. Not long after this we were posted from Ottawa to Kingston, where Dad taught at the R.C.E.M.E. School for three years. This was followed by postings back to Ottawa and then to Germany, where my father was Commanding Officer at the Canadian Base Repair Section at Hemer. In 1957 when we were back in Canada, Dad left the army and became a civil servant with the Dept. of National Defence in Ottawa – still concerned with the design, production and testing of equipment for the Canadian Forces.

The Carscallen's house at 1924 Lauder Drive in Ottawa.

My father retired in 1971 to pursue many interests: renovating and landscaping the house, golfing, curling, giving many hours of hands-on labour to the Church Property Committee, and taking courses at Carleton University in computer science and astronomy. Dad especially loved to drive, and he and my mother were often on the road, exploring new vistas.

Charlie Carscallen pursuing a favourite Culbert descendant pastime: curling.

Charles Newton was a very quiet man. The Department of National Defence could have had no worries about its secrets! He was unpretentious, gentlemanly, generous, Conservative in politics, nevertheless rational in judgment. He did not have the patience of Job.  For 50 years my mother’s liveliness and quick, bright presence filled the house, as a kind of compensation for my father’s extreme reticence. Her loss was grievous for him, and for all of us.

Dad survived my mother by 25 years, living like a true Culbert, (or more likely Fairhall), to the age of 100. In his 80^th year he returned to China with a family tour led by his sister Alice. 

Charlie Carscallen at The Great Wall of China, 1984 with two of his sisters: Kay (Carscallen) Gowland (left) and Alice (Carscallen) Griffiths (right).

Having learned Mandarin as a child he spent many months before the tour brushing up on this language. If China was his mother’s university, it was his happy and secure home for the first fourteen years of his life. He never forgot China. He maintained a life-long interest in its art, history, and political upheavals. He made sure that his two young adult grandchildren were able to take part in the China trip.  Every celebration in our family was marked by a wonderful Chinese meal.

Charlie Carscallen celebrating his 90th birthday at a Chinese restaurant with his sister, Helen Carscallen (left) and his daughter, Betty (Carscallen) Marmura (right).

During the last years of his life Dad lived with us, he was still watching sports and doing crosswords. He died on April 22, 2007 in his 101^st year. I miss him.

Charlie Carscallen about to cut into his cake on his 100th birthday, with daughter, Betty (Carscallen) Marmura.

Unsung Hero 
by Simon Elias Marmura Brown

(written when Simon, now 26, was 12 years old.)

My unsung hero is my great grandfather, Charles Carscallen. He is ninety-eight years old. He is smart, kind, and respectful.

He is extremely smart. He can play chess with me and he is very good. He's been doing the cryptic cross words for years and I can't even understand them. He is ninety-eight years old and he can still do it, though sometimes my grandmother helps.

My great grandfather is also very kind. As I have said before he plays chess with me. He talks to me about things I am interested in, like sports. He took my mom, her cousins, and her brother to China. Every year he puts five hundred dollars into a college fun for my sister and I.

Another great quality of my great grandfather is that he is respectful. He doesn't act toward or talk to me as if I'm eighty-six years younger than he is, which I am. He also has good manners. He treats people the way they want to be treated.

It was hard to think of my unsung hero, but out of all the possibilities my great grandfather stood out. That is why my great grandfather is my unsung hero.

Charles Newton Carscallen playing chess with his great-grandson, Simon Elias Marmura Brown.

Charles Newton Carscallen's Family Tree:
Ancestors:
John Culbert & Mary Ward (great-grandparents)
Richard Culbert & Jane Fairhall (grandparents)
Hulda May Culbert & Rev. Dr. Charles Rupert Carscallen (parents)
Descendants: (Children)
Charles Peter Carscallen (1936-1966)
Susan Elizabeth "Betty" (Carscallen) Marmura (living)