Biography of
Mario C. and Grace B. Charles

Mario and Grace Charles, while both not originally from Chattanooga, have made a profound impact on the city with the charitable legacy they established

Mario Charles was of Italian descent and a graduate of Rensselaer College in Troy, New York where he earned a degree in electrical engineering. After college, he worked for a number of years in the motion picture industry before migrating to Chattanooga. Mario then worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority for a number of years until his retirement. He has was an active hiker, boater, and loved to work on his house.

Grace Bowen was born in Kirwin, Kansas. She lived throughout the country while growing up and received her degree from Peabody College. She then moved to Chattanooga and earned another degree from the University of Chattanooga (now the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga). Grace worked for a number of years in the Hamilton County School system as a teacher at Lookout Mountain Elementary and the Anna B. Lacey School.

Mario and Grace met while Grace worked at the Anna B. Lacey School and were married in the mid-1940's. Mario was a resourceful and imaginative person who built many inventions for his own home, including an automatic dog feeder and a tractor pulled lawn mower consisting of three ordinary push mowers mounted on a triangular steel frame. Mario and Grace were also avid travelers and photographers. Almost every year they traveled to some far away place including Africa, Europe, South Pacific, and Alaska, to name a few. Grace too was a talented artist and musician who loved to participate in lectures and local tours about her and Mario's adventures.

Mario's health began to deteriorate in the early 1980's and he eventually died in August of 1991, at the age of 90. Grace continued to live a full life until her death in October of 1998, at the age 94.

Mario and Grace were extremely generous people and felt the desire to contribute back to the society that gave them so much. To this end, they worked with their professional advisors to help establish the Charles Foundation, Inc., that have not only left them a personal legacy, but will also provide perpetually for their favorite charities.