Helms Charles 1 2016
Helms Charles 2016

Biography: I moved to Chattanooga in 1967 and married Patsy Butler of Claxton.We have three children: Chad (Charles II) of Kingston, a system administrator at Y-12, Christopher in SC, and Jeana Watkins in Knoxville. We have six grand children.  Pat recently retired from Y-12 and lives in Knoxville.

The City of Chattanooga 1967 as a computer programmer trainee for a major 2nd to 3rd generation software conversion. I worked for the city as a programmer-analyst, systems programmer, and database administrator.  Sperry Univac recruited me as a consultant in 1978 and eventually relocated me to Atlanta.  For 25 years the software gods routed my consulting through Cullinet Software, Computer Task Group, Platinum Technologies, and Computer Associates (CA) with assignments in many US cities and Canada. I designed and created applications and system software. I provided technical support for IBM, Sperry, Cullinet, and CA.  I created and taught various software courses and taught teachers in train-the-trainer courses.

In 1996 I married Cindy Hall Hales Helms, a speech pathologist who never wanted to change her monogram.  Cindy was born in Atlanta and raised in OK. She provided me with a stepdaughter, and a stepson, who now has 4-yr-old-twin sons in Atlanta.  Cindy attended the ORHS-66 45th class reunion, had a ball, and loved everyone she met. One classmate remarked that Cindy should be adopted as a classmate.

A few years ago Cindy began acting in local theater productions in our area.  She urged me to perform. Now we both enjoy acting in local plays.  Cindy and I live in Reynolds Landing on Lake Oconee, 90 miles east of Atlanta.  We love lake life: boating, golfing, and traveling.

I earned a BS in History and an MA in Teaching in 2006 at GCSU in Milledgeville, GA.  I briefly taught social science courses in area high schools and an alternative school. But I found Public schools administrations are too rigid by necessity.  I missed my software freedom, so I retired.

In 2009 I became a guitar-toting minstrel playing classic rock, folk, country and gospel favorites.  I play professional gigs, but mostly I perform free, 45-minute, sing-along concerts for seniors in hospitals,  nursing homes, senior centers, retirement communities, and assisted-living homes.  I have monthly theme-based programs with appropriate songs for the season or holiday.  I play as many as four shows per day up to 12 days each month.  I normally limit my concerts to sites in the 20 counties within 60 miles of my home. My normal rule is: “If I drive my car more than I play my guitar, I have gone too far!â€� However, I do make exceptions.  I have played several concerts in an Oak Ridge nursing home. I have even performed on Viking River cruises on the Danube River in Europe.   It is a joyous avocation that I intend to continue until ...
Posted By: NS Administrator - 05-09-2016
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