Charles Allison Wood Jr. was born in Delphi, Indiana on Sept. 22, 1924 to the parents of Charles Allison and Opal May Berry Wood. He was the oldest of three children. His brothers were David Alan born Sept. 24, 1926 and William Arthur born Feb. 6, 1929.
Mr. Wood enlisted in the Navy two weeks prior to the United States entering World War II. He rose to the rank of 1st class Boatswains mate and mustered out in 1945. He was one of the first to enlist so he was one of the first to muster out. After he came home his father, Charles Sr., walked him around the courthouse square.
He was married to Rosemary Berkey of Brooklyn, N.Y. on June 3, 1945. After returning from the war Charles returned to Delphi High School to graduate with the class of 1946. A review of Mr Wood’s report cards by myself and Doug Wood found Charles to be a competent student with high grades in school. Charles and Rosemary had four children. They were Charles, Thomas, Stephen and Douglas He was given an opportunity to start as an Indiana State Police Officer or begin as an indentured apprentice lineman with the R.E.M.C. sponsored by the State of Indiana. He chose the latter and completed the program in 1950 and became a graduate apprentice lineman.
A few years after graduation Mr. Wood left Delphi for Colorado where he worked for a time and met Blanche Virginia Neher whom he would eventually marry . They moved to Santa Monica, California and from there bought a home with a commercial acre in Canoga Park in the late 50’s. He raised chickens and at one time had two cows and a horse. Mr. Wood started working on the line crew at Revue Studios which is now called Universal Studios.
Charles and Virginia moved to Simi Valley in 1962 and had a daughter Carol Denise in 1963. At about the same time Mr. Wood took a better job at Twentieth Century Fox after a short stint with the Department of Water and Power in Canoga Park. A couple of years later he then purchased a 40 acre farm outside of Lebanon Oregon. He worked as a lineman for the county while keeping up the farm. Mr. Wood came only his signature away from purchasing Evergreen Electric Company, one of the largest electric companies in Lebanon. Mr. Wood however decided to go back to the Motion Picture business instead. He had several offers and returned to California and to Twentieth Century Fox Studios. In 1967 Mr. Wood had bought a home in Granada Hills, Ca. where they resided until 1971 when he moved to Northridge. In 1972 he became a California State Licensed Contractor and was promoted to The Electrical Department Manager for Twentieth Century Fox.
In 1976 he met and married Gillian Wheeler where they lived in Van Nuys, CA.
In 1987, after working in the Motion Picture industry for almost 40 years Mr. Wood retired as an Operational Manager for the Twentieth Century Fox Studio Lot. After retirement he lived for a time in Oroville CA. and then moved to Tehachapi, CA. Mr. Wood passed away on Dec. 6, 2004 in Techachapi. He was survived by his wife Gillian Wheeler Wood, four sons; Charles Wood and Douglas Wood of California; Tom Wood of Oklahoma and Steve Wood of Delphi, a Daughter Carol Statton of California and three step children Carla Colwell Cook, David Saenz and Vickie Saenz Brown; a brother William Arthur Wood of Ventura, CA.; and twelve grandchildren.
Information on C.A. Wood provided by Stephen Robert Wood
Portraits provided by C.A.Wood
Its Wood Family tradition The portraits are passed to the first born of the first born who also takes the name Charles named in his honor.
C.A. Wood III |
