Tidwell, Jr., Charles Herman (1945–2022)

Charles Herman Tidwell, Jr., was a teacher and educational administrator for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the United States, Canada, and Hong Kong.

Early Years

The eldest child of Charles Herman Tidwell, Sr. (1922–2016) and Evelyn Ruth Graves (1926–2020), Charles Herman Tidwell, Jr. was born April 17, 1945, in Lincoln, Nebraska, where his parents were attending Union College.¹ The couple had four more children: Dennis, Marla, Connie, and Michael.

Between 1946 and 1952, the family lived in Arkansas, Nebraska, and Texas, where Charles’ parents worked at Adventist academies and a public school, and his father completed his M.A. at the University of Nebraska. They moved briefly to Massachusetts while they waited for visas to India, where his parents had been called to serve as missionaries. Charles Sr.’s assignments included teaching and administration at the academy, college, union, and division levels. Evelyn’s mission service included working as a school nurse, teacher, and director of a student sponsorship program. They served in India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka. The family returned in early 1958 to the U.S., while his father completed a doctoral degree, after which the family spent several years at Spicer Memorial College.

Altogether, Charles’s parents devoted 40 years to overseas service as missionaries in India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka. Charles Sr.’s assignments included educational administrator of Adventist schools at various levels, including Spicer Memorial College in India. Evelyn’s mission service included working as a school nurse, teacher, and director of a student sponsorship program.²

Charles attended a mix of elementary and secondary schools and home-schooling as his family moved multiple times between the United States and India.³ Charles was baptized on November 16, 1957, at Vincent Hill School in India by Pastor C. A. Boykin.⁴ In 1963, he enrolled in Atlantic Union College in South Lancaster, Massachusetts, graduating in 1967 with majors in English and history. His mother enrolled at Atlantic Union College at the same time he did to finish her college degree. During his senior year, Charles served as editor of the college newspaper, the Lancastrian.⁵

Charles and his siblings inherited and embraced their parents’ vision of service to humanity and to the church. In a 2000 article in The Journal of Adventist Education, Charles described his family’s involvement with and commitment to Adventist education: “teaching in an Adventist school is more than a way of making a living; it is an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others.” But “most of all,” he wrote, “Adventist education has trained us for a life of service.”⁶

Marriage and Career

In 1966, Charles met Ruth Elaine Patterson, a young nurse who was born in Pennsylvania and had recently moved to Massachusetts. They were married in Erie, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 1967, and moved to Michigan, where Charles enrolled in a MA program at Andrews University, graduating in August 1968 with a specialization in English. Charles and Ruth had one son, Charles H. Tidwell III, nicknamed Chet.⁷

Between 1968 and 1972, Charles taught English and history at Cedar Lake Academy in Cedar Lake, Michigan, and attended graduate classes at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. In 1972, the family moved to Massachusetts, where Charles taught English at South Lancaster Academy and worked as a contract teacher at Atlantic Union College.⁸

The family next moved to Alberta, Canada, where Charles served as an associate professor of English at Canadian Union College (now Burman University) between 1977 and 1984. In 1983, Charles earned a Ph.D. in English, specializing in Victorian fiction, at the University of Calgary.⁹

In 1984, Charles received a call to Hong Kong Adventist College, where he served as chairman of the Division of Arts and Sciences and professor of English until September 1989, when he was named as academic dean of the college. In June 1995, he became vice president.¹⁰ While at Hong Kong Adventist College, Charles fostered student involvement in community projects.¹¹ He also helped to spearhead a number of infrastructure improvements at the college, including a major facelift for the institution, new computer labs, the addition of faculty and staff apartments, and a renovation of the church building.¹²

In 1996, Charles received a call to Andrews University, where he served in a variety of positions (some more than once) until he retired on September 1, 2011. His titles included professor of English, director of off-campus programs and acting/interim dean for the School of Business Administration (SBA), director/dean of the university’s affiliation and extension programs, associate registrar for graduate programs, and administrator of a master’s degree program in international development (Table 1). While he was the director of Off-Campus Programs for the SBA, he had responsibility for seven off-campus graduate business programs.¹³

As director/dean of Affiliation and Extension Programs, he served as official liaison between Andrews University and other institutions whose students obtained academic credits and degrees under the auspices of Andrews University.¹⁴ In this role, he acted as official liaison between Andrews University and nearly a dozen institutions whose graduate and undergraduate students obtained academic credits and degrees under the auspices of Andrews University. Responsibilities relating to this role included ensuring that all legal requirements for affiliation were fulfilled; managing audits of affiliated campuses; dealing with quality-control issues; recommending strategic initiatives relating to affiliation; acting as executive secretary of the university Affiliations and Extensions Committee; reporting on the programs to other university committees; and, in consultation with the deans, negotiating and reviewing contractual agreements with affiliates on behalf of the university.¹⁵ The schools with which Charles liaised were located in many parts of the world and offered a variety of degrees and programs.¹⁶

Charles also served as academic director and advisor and taught classes for the university’s Master of Science in Administration (later renamed the Master of International Development Administration),¹⁷ an interdisciplinary program that enrolled a diverse group of students from a variety of religious and professional backgrounds.¹⁸

Table 1: Charles H. Tidwell, Jr.’s positions at Andrews University¹⁹

When Griggs University merged with Andrews University in 2011, it moved from Maryland to Berrien Springs, Michigan, and was incorporated into the Andrews University School of Distance Education & International Partnerships. University extension programs and affiliations came under the auspices of the Office of Off-Campus Programs.²⁰ Charles retained the title of dean of Affiliation and Extension Programs until his retirement later that year. Throughout his 15 years at Andrews University, he held the title of professor of English.²¹

Ruth worked as a registered nurse at various hospitals during the early years of their marriage while the family lived in the United States and Canada, assisted the school nurse and worked in the college library in Hong Kong, and worked as an administrative assistant in the School of Business Administration, Andrews University.²²

Contributions to Church and Community

From 2006 through 2015, Charles was a board member of the Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Colleges and Universities (AAA). He also functioned as an evaluator for AAA (1991–1995 and 2006–2009).²³ He served as a member of The Journal of Adventist Education’s Advisory Board from 1999 to 2017, and contributed several articles to the publication.²⁴ He brought his broad experience with and knowledge about different cultures and intercultural communication to bear in presentations to faculty development seminars and conferences held by the National Communication Association and the Society of Christian Business Ethics.

Charles had a number of poems published in Spectrum and Blue Buffalo: A Magazine of Recent Alberta Writing.²⁵

A sought-after speaker at commencements and church services, Charles taught Sabbath school classes at many locations, including for 15 years at Pioneer Memorial Church on the campus of Andrews University, where he also served as a deacon and associate head deacon. In addition to being a long-time member of the Eau Claire [Michigan] Rotary Club, he edited their newsletter from 1999 to 2006.²⁶

Final Years

Charles and Ruth retired on September 1, 2011, and Andrews University subsequently named him Dean Emeritus of Affiliations and Extensions.²⁷ For two years, he taught an online course for Southern Adventist University.²⁸ Charles and Ruth had hoped to travel and explore with their camper after retirement, but he was struck by Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIPD) in 2015, which caused severe pain and severely limited his mobility. Ruth was his devoted caretaker and companion during this difficult time. Charles died on May 10, 2022, in Newton, Massachusetts.²⁹

Legacy

Charles H. Tidwell, Jr. was an esteemed teacher and scholar who served the Seventh-day Adventist Church faithfully for 43 years. He was known throughout the world as an academic and someone who loved and supported Adventist education.³⁰ A colleague who worked closely with him wrote that: “He believed in the evangelism of education, and he was one of the greatest educational evangelists I have ever known.”³¹ His competence in administration, affiliations, and accreditation enabled him to promote good governance of the institutions with which he was involved. He had a passion for the worldwide educational mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. His extensive knowledge of international education made him sensitive to and effective in dealing with the various regions and cultures with which he interacted.

Sources

“About the International Development Program.” Andrews University Website. Accessed February 18, 2024. https://www.andrews.edu/grad/idp/about.html.

Andrews University, “Off-Campus Programs.” In Andrews University 2008–2009 Bulletin, (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University, 2008), 17. https://www.andrews.edu/academics/bulletin/2008-2009/03university/01-02-campus_resources.pdf.

“Charles and Ruth Tidwell Retire.” FOCUS, Winter 2012, 11. https://d261v9hbk78yno.cloudfront.net/focusapp/pdf/2012-1.pdf.

“Charles Tidwell – Home Page.” Andrews University. Updated February 2017. https://www.andrews.edu/~tidwell/.

“Curriculum Vitae,” Charles H. Tidwell, Jr. Last modified March 2012. https://www.andrews.edu/~tidwell/resume.html.

“Death of Charles Tidwell.” Andrews Agenda, May 18, 2022. http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/60530.

“International Development Program (IDP),” Andrews University. https://www.andrews.edu/grad/idp/mida-id.html.

Sahly, Donald R.; Stephen Payne; and Alayne Thorpe. “Griggs International Academy and Griggs University.” The Journal of Adventist Education 85, no. 4 (2023): 39–42, 44. https://www.journalofadventisteducation.org/en/2023.85.4.8.

“SIFE Team Wins Regional Competition.” FOCUS, Spring 2010, 6. https://d261v9hbk78yno.cloudfront.net/focusapp/pdf/2010-2.pdf.

Tidwell, Charles H. Jr., “Cape Cod,” Spectrum, April 1976, 32.

Tidwell, Charles H., Jr. “Cross-Country,” Spectrum, April 1976, 31.

Tidwell, Charles H., Jr. “The Immortal Puzzle: Love and Marriage in Thomas Hardy’s Minor Novels.” PhD diss., University of Calgary, 1983.

Tidwell, Charles H., Jr. “One Family, Two Centuries of Adventist Education.” The Journal of Adventist Education 62, no. 5 (Summer 2000): 22, 23. https://circle.adventistlearningcommunity.com/files/jae/en/jae200062052202.pdf.

Tidwell, Charles H., Jr. “Sanctuary,” Spectrum, Autumn 1971, 21.

Tidwell, Charles H. Jr., “To the Seven Churches, Write . . . ,” Spectrum, Winter 2000, 34, 35.

Tidwell, Dennis Dean. “Life Sketch of Charles Herman Tidwell, Jr.” Facebook, July 25, 2022. http://facebook.com/charles.h.tidwell.jr.

“Welcome Reception Held for Griggs Employees.” FOCUS, Summer 2011, 5. https://d261v9hbk78yno.cloudfront.net/focusapp/pdf/2011-3.pdf.

Notes

1. “Death of Charles Tidwell,” Andrews Agenda, May 18, 2022, http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/60530; Dennis Dean Tidwell, “Life Sketch of Charles Herman Tidwell, Jr.,” Facebook, July 25, 2022, http://facebook.com/charles.h.tidwell.jr.; Connie Tidwell Wuerstlin, email message to author, September 10, 2023.↩

2. Dennis Dean Tidwell, “Life Sketch of Charles Herman Tidwell, Jr.,” Facebook, July 25, 2022, http://facebook.com/charles.h.tidwell.jr.↩

3. Charles attended first grade in Lincoln, Nebraska; began second grade in South Lancaster, Massachusetts; finished second grade and third grade through Home Study Institute in India; attended fourth grade at Vincent Hill School in India; was homeschooled for the fifth grade; spent sixth grade and the first half of seventh grade at Vincent Hill School; and completed seventh grade and eighth grade at Helen Hyatt Elementary School in Lincoln, Nebraska. He attended Vincent Hill School for the ninth to eleventh grades, then transferred to South Lancaster Academy in Massachusetts for his senior year, graduating in 1963.↩

4. Scan of Charles Herman Tidwell, Jr.’s original Certificate of Baptism, email attachments from Charles H. Tidwell III to author, March 6, 2024.↩

5. “Curriculum Vitae,” Charles H. Tidwell, Jr., updated March 2012, https://www.andrews.edu/~tidwell/resume.html; Charles H. Tidwell, Jr., Bio Blank, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, January 17, 1975.↩

6. In the same article, Charles stated that he, his parents, and most of his siblings had been involved with Adventist education in a variety of areas and levels, in numerous countries. Cumulatively, he, his parents, and siblings had worked in Adventist education a total of 131 years at the time of the writing of the article. Charles H. Tidwell, Jr., “One Family, Two Centuries of Adventist Education,” The Journal of Adventist Education 62, no. 5 (Summer 2000): 22, 23, https://circle.adventistlearningcommunity.com/files/jae/en/jae200062052202.pdf.↩

7. “Life Sketch.”↩

8. “Curriculum Vitae”; Charles H. Tidwell, Jr., Bio Blank, 1975.↩

9. Charles H. Tidwell, Jr., “The Immortal Puzzle: Love and Marriage in Thomas Hardy’s Minor Novels” (Ph.D. diss., University of Calgary, 1983).↩

10. “Curriculum Vitae.”↩

11. Charles H. Tidwell III, email message to author, November 21, 2023; Connie Tidwell Wuerstlin, email message to author, November 5, 2023; “Life Sketch.”↩

12. Ben Maguad, email message to author, October 23, 2023.↩

13. Annetta Gibson, telephone interview by author, November 9, 2023; “Curriculum Vitae.”↩

14. Kevin Wiley, email message to author, February 12, 2024.↩

15. Beverly Brown, email message to author, February 15, 2024.↩

16. The schools with which Andrews University had affiliation agreements during Charles Tidwell’s tenure as director/dean of Affiliation and Extension Programs included Antillean Adventist University, Babcock University, Centre Universitaire et pedagoguiqie du Saleve, Colegio Adventista de Sagunto, Colombia Adventist University, Hong Kong Adventist University, Hong Kong Adventist College, Helderberg College, Montemorelos University, Newbold College, Northern Caribbean University, Spicer Memorial College, Universidad Adventista del Plata, University of the Southern Caribbean, and Zaoksky Theological Seminary. The schools offered programs in theology/religion, business, education, humanities/arts and sciences, Spanish, and French. Kevin Wiley, email message to author, February 12, 2024; Andrews University, “Off-Campus Programs” (2008–2009), https://www.andrews.edu/academics/bulletin/2008-2009/03university/01-02-campus_resources.pdf.↩

17. Stephen Payne, email to author, November 8, 2023; Dawn Dulhunty, email message to author, November 7, 2023; “International Development Program (IDP),” Andrews University, https://www.andrews.edu/grad/idp/mida-id.html.↩

18. Dawn Dulhunty, email message to author, November 7, 2023; “About the International Development Program,” Andrews University Website, https://www.andrews.edu/grad/idp/about.html.↩

19. Most information in this chart taken from “Curriculum Vitae”; facts about MIDA responsibilities from Annetta Gibson, telephone conversation with author, February 9, 2024; facts about the SIFE advisor position from Annetta Gibson, email to author, March 28, 2024, and “SIFE Team Wins Regional Competition,” FOCUS (Spring 2010): 6, https://d261v9hbk78yno.cloudfront.net/focusapp/pdf/2010-2.pdf.↩

20. Alayne Thorpe, Zoom meeting with author, October 30, 2023; “Welcome Reception Held for Griggs Employees,” FOCUS, Summer 2011, 5; Donald R. Sahly, Stephen Payne, and Alayne Thorpe, “Griggs International Academy and Griggs University,” The Journal of Adventist Education 85, no. 4 (2023): 39–42, 44, https://www.journalofadventisteducation.org/en/2023.85.4.8.↩

21. “Charles Tidwell – “Home Page,” Andrews University, Updated February 2017, https://www.andrews.edu/~tidwell/; Stephen Payne, email to author, November 16, 2023.↩

22. Ruth Tidwell, phone interview with author, November 2023; Charles H. Tidwell III, email message to author, November 21, 2023; “Charles and Ruth Tidwell Retire,” FOCUS, Winter 2012, 11, https://d261v9hbk78yno.cloudfront.net/focusapp/pdf/2012-1.pdf.↩

23. Rachel Jihyun Kim, email message to author, November 15, 2023.↩

24. Personal knowledge, Beverly J. Robinson-Rumble; Faith-Ann McGarrell, email message to author, September 7, 2023.↩

25. Charles H. Tidwell, Jr., “Sanctuary,” Spectrum, Autumn 1971, 21; Charles H. Tidwell, Jr., “Cross-Country,” Spectrum, April 1976, 31; Charles H. Tidwell, Jr., “Cape Cod,” Spectrum, April 1976, 32; Charles H. Tidwell, Jr., “To the Seven Churches, Write . . . ,” Spectrum, Winter 2000, 34, 35. This last poem had seven subsections: “(1) South Lancaster – Christmas”; “(2) Lowville”; “(3) Central Alberta, Canada”; “(4) Hong Kong Chapel”; “(5) “Singapore”; “(6) Chiang Mai, Thailand”; “(7): Berrien Springs – Easter Sabbath.” Charles H. Tidwell, Jr., “September Sabbath,” “Still Life,” and “Pastoral,” Blue Buffalo: A Magazine of Recent Alberta Writing, 2, no. 1 (1983): 25, 28, 39.↩

26. “Curriculum Vitae.”↩

27. Stephen Paine, email message to author, November 6, 2023.↩

28. Lisa Hess, emails to author, February 26 and 27, 2024. She wrote: “I had the privilege of working with Dr. Tidwell the entire time he taught [at Southern Adventist University]. He was so great and wonderful with the students. His expertise and experience were the perfect fit for the course [‘Preparation for Global Service’].”↩

29. “Death of Charles Tidwell.” Andrews Agenda, May 18, 2022, http://www.andrews.edu/agenda/60530; Life Sketch; Charles H. Tidwell III, email message to author, November 21, 2023.↩

30. Niels-Erik Andreasen, emails to author, September 21, 2023; Bruce Buttler, email to author, November 9, 2023; Annetta Gibson, email to author, September 11, 2023; and Boxter Kharbteng, email to author, February 8, 2024.↩

31. Alayne Thorpe, email to author, September 7, 2023.↩