Charles X. Larrabee

Charles X. Larrabee
Durham
Charles X. Larrabee, long-time head of Research Triangles Institute's public relations activities died June 12, 2013 at his Croasdaile Village home in Durham. He was 90 years old.
From 1964 until he retired in 1991 he cultivated local and national media coverage of RTI's scientific programs in many disciplines and their role in fostering regional and state economic vitality. Through news announcements, feature articles and RTI's research magazine "Hypotenuse", the word went out that something of special interest was going on in the "Research Triangle" centered on Duke, UNC and N.C. State Universities.
A native of Bellingham, Washington, Larrabee attended the public schools there and Dartmouth College. During World War 2 he served for four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, including overseas duty at Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. Before coming to North Carolina he held positions with the San Francisco Chronicle, Stanford Research Institute, Collier's magazine in New York and the United Fruit Company in Boston.
Larrabee's book "Many Missions" published by RTI in 1991 remains the prescriptive account of the events and forces that led to RTI's formation by the three universities at the end of 1958. A separate entity, RTI was seen as the focal point for an unidentified research park that university sponsors, state officials and business leaders hoped might spring up around it.
The RTPark today has won worldwide acclaim. From a standing start RTI itself has grown to a permanent scientific and support staff of 2,200 with contract research revenues of $800 million annually.
Larrabee was active in the Durham Chamber of Commerce and the N.C. Division of Travel and Tourism. He is a member of the Public Relations Hall of Fame at UNC's School of Journalism and Mass communications in UNC.
Named after a grandfather, Larrabee throughout his life was known as "X" for Xavier by family, friends, fellow workers and a steady stream of gagsters. His wife of 65 years, Margaret Dwelle, died in 2008. They leave 7 children, 7 grandchildren and one great granddaughter..
The family would like to give heartfelt thanks to the kind and professional staff at Croasdaile Retirement Village.