Charles Milton Northrip

1940 - 2019

Charlie Northrip died unexpectedly August 15, 2019. He was born March 12, 1940 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Raised by his widowed mother, Lee Northrip Burnsed, Charlie grew up in Flagler Beach, where he gained a life-long aversion to lawn care. While helping (and eating) in his mom's restaurant on the pier, he learned that vegetables were optional and that hamburgers could, in fact, be breakfast. He began drumming in high school, launching his life-long music avocation, as a percussionist, vocalist, and conductor.

Charlie moved with his first wife, Glenna, to Fairbanks, Alaska in 1963. Armed with B.S. and M.A. degrees in broadcasting and communication from the University of Florida, he taught classes at the University of Alaska and managed Alaska's first public radio station, KUAC. Sons Ian Arthur (1965) and Zan Alexus (1968) were both born in Fairbanks.

After earning his Ph.D. in mass communications and management, Charlie continued his first successful career. By 1992, he had directed the state's Educational Broadcasting Commission, coordinated Alaska's first satellite experiments, managed and grew KTOO public radio and TV in Juneau, and directed the Public Broadcasting Commission. The Alaska Broadcasters Hall of Fame recognized Charlie's pioneering Alaska telecommunications career when it inducted him in 1986.

Following a divorce, son Zan introduced Charlie to his school music teacher, Pam Hutchison. Charlie and Pam married on the first day of spring in 1978. Daughter Ann Nadine joined the family in Juneau in 1981. Yes, each child's initials do spell their first names. And yes, that was on purpose – revealing just one aspect of Charlie's love of wordplay.

You would also find Charlie participating in Juneau's weekly folk-dancing gatherings or deeply engaged in the Juneau Symphony and Juneau Lyric Opera Association. He directed church choirs and never missed conducting and playing his snare drum with Juneau's legendary all-volunteer marching band. His children can still hum drum line cadences.

Starting in the early 1980s, Charlie became a dedicated runner and, with Pam's assistance, a healthier eater, forsaking his occasional habit of eating peanut butter cups for breakfast. Running gave him both fulfillment and something to complain about. Charlie also enjoyed skiing the slopes of Eaglecrest with daughter Ann. Pam and Charlie shared a love of music, entertaining, travel, and ballroom dance.

In Charlie's second successful career, he served as executive director of the Juneau Economic Development Council from 1993 to 1999. Charlie went international for his third career. Starting in 1999, he managed a series of development projects overseas, strengthening independent media and supporting development in Croatia, Bosnia, Southeast Asia, and South Sudan. He continued to consult on overseas projects until his death. Charlie succeeded professionally for many reasons, but his clear, persuasive writing and speaking were always key. We deeply regret that he did not draft this obituary.

In addition to all of the above, his family will remember him for his love of puns, his habit of drumming on the steering wheel, and his sometimes odd snack choices. We will remember his passion for radio and for public radio in particular. We will remember his love of cats – and his occasional tolerance of dogs. We will remember how much he enjoyed arranging and presiding over family vacations and the fun he had with his grandchildren. We will remember his dedication to social justice and social causes, informed by his personal journey that began in the segregated south. That dedication included proud membership in PFLAG and the ACLU.

Charlie is survived by Pam, his wife of 41 years. He is also survived by his children and grandchildren: Ian Northrip and Kristin Gogerty and their children, Emily and Caleb; Zan Northrip and Doneg McDonough and their children, Daniel and Roman; Ann Northrip and Justin Anderson. He is also survived by his older brother, Richard Northrip, with whom he recently road tripped from Seattle to the redwoods.

His family is devastated and deeply saddened by Charlie's sudden death while out on his regular morning run. But we are grateful that he remained vital and in full control of his faculties until his unexpected heart attack. Anything else would have been unacceptable to him, and we are relieved that he went out on his own terms.

Although he never regained consciousness, and likely would have preferred to be better dressed, we hope that Charlie somehow knew that his first responders thought he was only in his 50s. Charlie made the world a better place. And he always looked damned good doing it.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to organizations Charlie supported, the American Civil Liberties Union or your local Humane Society.