I fondly remember my days with Dr. Charles at the Washington, DC office, during my visits for various programs, and also our interactions in Bangladesh. He was always smiling, thoughtful, and remarkably insightful. What impressed me most was his ability to immediately connect strategic vision with real-life context and community realities.

I truly believe that leaders like Dr. Charles have shaped who I am today as a development practitioner. His guidance, wisdom, and humanity left a lasting impression on my professional journey.

May God bless his soul and grant him eternal peace.

With deep respect,

Kazi Amdadul Hoque

Formerly with Save the Children USA and Save the Children International (2001–2013), Bangladesh. WhatsApp: +8801713030124

I, too, was a young graduate student at SIT in 1971. Of all things, I will always remember Charlie’s very cool sports car - a Karmann Ghia!  I went on to an international career in journalism, thanks to the SIT internship program which got me to London.  I am not surprised Charlie went on to have an impact on so many lives.  May his memory be a blessing.

Charlie was a dear friend and he will be deeply missed. 

Together we worked to implement his vision for the NGO sector. A vision that helped millions. Here’s a story that captures a bit of his energy, passion, and a shared vision.

Once a week in the late 1990s, I would meet Charlie at a restaurant somewhere between Westport, Connecticut, and Warwick, Rhode Island. We had known each other for a decade, and by then he was already a lifelong mentor and friend. The purpose of our quiet, off-the-radar meetings was Charlie’s idea: why not explore a bold global merger between Save the Children and Plan International—two of the world’s leading child-focused NGOs—to create an organization on the scale of UNICEF?

Charlie thought big, and I embraced his vision. It was impossible not to join him and imagine a better future.

Over the next six months, we engaged our respective boards and global leadership teams, hired a consulting firm, and assembled a dedicated group to work through the details. In the end, organizational structures and cultural differences got in the way, and the merger never materialized. Still, we tried to accomplish something amazing. There were other projects that worked and other dreams to turn into reality,

By 2010, both organizations had evolved in similar directions. Charlie had moved on to chair InterAction, and he convinced me to take on the role of leading the coalition. Our collaboration—a shared vision for the future of U.S. NGOs—would continue into the 2020s.

Through it all, I had the privilege of loving a man with both a formidable intellect and a deep well of compassion. Charlie lived his professional life fully: shaping institutions, mentoring leaders, and helping ensure that millions of children not only survived but thrived. Our regular calls continued well into his retirement, eventually shifting to family, daily routines, and reflections on life.

Charlie was my closest professional friend. The path he imagined and walked touched us all. Thanks to his work and unwavering commitment, the world is a better place—for millions.

Charlie hired me at the Experiment/School for International Training. When I came for my interview, he invited me to sit on the knoll in front of Boyce House, and he spoke movingly of his vision for the organization. I was so inspired by his foresight and the passion he showed for making the world a better place,  that I accepted the position when it was offered to me. Working at SIT under Charlie’s leadership was a life-changing experience for me. I will be forever grateful. 

I am so sorry for your loss. Charlie was an incredible man who did so much for the world’s children. I have been associated with the Save the Children Board over 20 years, the last 7 as chair. I had a front row seat to  Charlie’s amazing leadership of the organization, the SCUS Board and the SCI Board. He cared so deeply for our work  and always put mission first.  I will be greatly missed. 

Brad Irwin

Charlie was a visionary. He envisioned a world-wide organization dedicated to the care and protection of children. As CEO of Save the Children US, he inspired the creation of an International Save the Children network that had the flexibility, reach, and resources to respond to the needs of children anywhere in the world, be it in response to natural or man-made disasters. 

Working with him was the most challenging but most rewarding job of my long career!

Fierce in the protection of the vulnerable, Charlie was also gentle and supportive as a friend and supervisor. He always urged us to “ move the needle” against poverty and disease. With his leadership, we did.

I met Charlie, Susan, Cameron, and Fraser in August 1997 during my language exchange with Experience in International Living. I was their au pair.

They were my host family for a year, and I couldn’t have wished for a better one.

That year was filled with learning, sharing, volunteering, and love.

They taught me so much, and I will always be deeply grateful to them for helping me appreciate the simple things in life.

A chapter is coming to a close, but I’m walking away with invaluable life lessons and unforgettable memories.

Rose

Charlie and Susan joined my life beginning in 1974, when I became a graduate student in Group 14 of the International Career Training Programme of which Charlie and Anne Janeway were the Professors.  What a pair they were!

Charlie became a role model for me in my just-beginning career.  His intellect and insights were as sharp as a samurai sword, yet he offset that with a deep, profound human compassion.  I think that I had thought those were two separate characteristics, or skill sets, until I encountered Charlie.  And Anne - the two of them were very complementary, and exhibited the characteristics of the Sanskritic "acharya" - someone who teaches by setting an example.  Perfect for a programme based on experiential learning.

After stubbing my toe on an internship in which I allowed my head to overrule my heart, I began my real post-Peace Corps career with PLAN International, a sponsorship organization that paralleled SCF, which Charlie went on to lead after ICT.  We were in regular contact through our tenures at PLAN and SCF, and I almost wound up joining SCF after PLAN, but I went on insteqd to 20 years in the UN - Charlie and I talked from time to time while I was there in New York.  I was on his and Susan's Christmas card list, and I'm sure that I still have pix, somewhere, of the two of them and the boys, when they were little.

For the entirety of my adult life, spent in a parallel though more modest career, I have derived inspiration from Charles Mac Cormack.  He was a true mentor, and I'm so sorry that he has left us, but the world he touched is by far the better for his having passed through.

Que te vaya bien, estimado amigo.