Chuck has been keeping fish for over 60 years, beginning when his aunt gave his brother and him a 10 gallon Metaframe tank at about age 9.  Not having access to a fish store but living on a farm in Southern Illinois, he filled the tank with locally caught native fish and plants and began his foray into the Communities in nature and the world of natural history and biology in general.  He has been supplying aquarium stores with his excess fish and plants since shortly after he began keeping them.

A BS in General Biology from the Univ of IL and an MS in Entomology from Cornell Univ. allowed him to pursue a career working with farmers to incorporate science and biology into their farming operations while working as Pest Management specialist for the USDA Extension Service and practicing agronomist for Pioneer HiBred, Intl. Throughout his working career he kept several tanks and developed a knowledge of aquatic communities and fish from around the world and eventually got to keep fish also in Europe, specializing primarily in community tanks that provide the most diversity and learning experiences even when lacking time and space.

Chuck was not closely associated with the organized aquatic hobby until just over 10 years ago, when he was able to expand to a decent fish room after returning to the US.  Since then he has become active in several Aquarium Societies and organizations, including the American Livebearers Association (ALA), Chicago Livebearers Society (CLS), Champaign Area Fish Enthusiasts (CAFE), Eastern Iowa Aquarium Association (EIAA) and his current “Home” club, the Missouri Aquarium Society (MASI), where he serves as their newsletter editor.

His topic, “Aquarium Communities”, will discuss how and why to keep a community tank and how it can be maximized to introduce the keeper and others, such as a family, to a myriad of learning possibilities and interests.