Chuck Danielian
After La Salle
I got my Engineering Degree from URI and went to work for Bethlehem Steel in Buffalo, where I met Mary, my lovely wife of 54 years. Joined the RI Air National Guard, 1968 to 1974. Unable to have children, we decided to start spending our grand children’s inheritance. Bought a camper and with six weeks of vacation a year, hit the asphalt from the 1976 Olympics in Montreal to Key West, FL. We pursued our hobby of photography as Track Photographers covering events from Watkins Glen to Road Atlanta, meeting such notables as John and Michael Andretti, Paul Newman, James Brolin, Lynn St James and Janet Guthrie.
After 20 years with Bethlehem, having worked in Bethlehem, Buffalo, Albany and New Haven CT, we relocated to Tampa, FL in 1985 to work for Florida Steel. We swapped the camper and motorcycle for a boat and began to enjoy the Florida lifestyle. After stints in Tampa and Pompano Beach, we settled in Naples in 1994 where we treasure the friendship of our neighbor, Henry Gross, the founder of Sha Na Na and the writer/singer of the 1976 hit Shannon. We got involved with Doberman Rescue and are proud parents of our 10th rescue, Scarlett, a red who had been dumped in Miami. We became active in Grey2kusa www.grey2kusa.org in 2004 fighting to put an end to the cruel and inhumane business of Greyhound Racing. We organized protests at the Naples-Ft Myers Track from 2008 to 2018 when we finally got Amendment 13 on the ballot to ban Greyhound Racing in Florida. The Amendment was passed overwhelmingly, effectively ending Greyhound Racing at midnight on December 31, 2020. I was laid off in the crunch of 2008. So, I guess I’m not yet officially retired – I’m still on layoff. Anyway, that’s the box I check on forms, not ‘Retired’. Mary was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease about 12 years ago. So now, with her battling the disease, we’re very fortunate to have done what we did when we were young and healthy. The big out these days is working with the Collier County Domestic Animal Services and spending time at the local gun range one or two times a week.
Chuck Danielian <roughrider10@comcast.net >
Naples , Florida United States - Tuesday, August 10, 2021 at 13:02:04 (EDT)