Chuck Whitchurch has been teaching at Golden West College since 1972. As Professor of English and Humanities he has created courses dealing with relationships between violence and the media, mythology and psychology, literature and the environment. He has taught classes in composition, creative writing, humanities, literature, mythology, critical thinking and art appreciation. Hence his students may find themselves interrelating literature, film, art, architecture, or music with topics from philosophy and history. Participating in grants from the National Endowment of the Humanities, Chuck co-authored Genesis, an interdisciplinary curriculum catalogue, and helped KOCE-TV create its award-winning television series Humanities Through the Arts.

Born in Long Beach, in his teens he found summer jobs as a gardener, dishwasher, grocery stocker, salesclerk, manual laborer, and salesman—always being careful to arrange his schedule for restorative hours in the surf. In 1962 he graduated from Santa Clara University with a B.A. in history, minoring in philosophy, theology and English. After graduating from Santa Clara, he served as an Executive Officer and Company Commander in Army Intelligence and Security, living with a German family at their home in the woods next to the then East-West border.

After finishing his military duties in Europe, Chuck joined the management training program of United California Bank. Within a year he was a bank officer, but realized that money was not his calling. He entered Long Beach State University, earned a secondary credential, and began teaching English in the late ‘60s at Laguna Beach High School. He loved his activist students at Laguna, but after a few years decided to explore teaching at the college level. He entered the doctoral program at the University of California at Irvine, where he served as an associate and fellow, teaching English and comparative literature.

After earning his M.A. in comparative literature in 1972, he took time off from UCI to teach at Golden West College. While at GWC he became so immersed in the art world and in campus interdisciplinary projects that he decided to stay at Golden West. After over three decades of teaching, he began administering the Honors Program when it began in 2000. Though he enjoys helping build the Program, his favorite activity is still teaching. An admirer of dogged persistence and the sensitive use of intelligence, he respects those students who overcome obstacles to stay in school, master intellectual skills or grasp difficult concepts. A challenging and engaged teacher, he is visibly pleased when during a vigorous exchange he sees the lights go on in his students’ eyes.

Complementing his academic perspective, Mr. Whitchurch has over 25 years experience as a businessman. For several years he ran the Charles Whitchurch Gallery and served as President of the Art Dealers Association of California. Still active as a private dealer, he has curated exhibits in Latin American and contemporary art for museums and galleries, publishing articles and exhibition catalogues in the United States and Asia. He has lectured at a variety of local venues, including the Orange County Art Museum and the LA Art Fair, and has been featured in publications such as Mizue, the Los Angeles Times, and USA Today.

He shares his life with his beautiful wife, Susan, and endures two bright and lovely daughters who since infancy have managed to outwit him: attorney Gialisa and budding writer Marisa. When not teaching, hiking or grading papers, Professor Whitchurch may be found reading, swimming or throwing weights around the gym. He is a member of the Jesuit honor society, Alpha Sigma Nu, and the national philosophy honor society, Phi Sigma Tau. He is listed in a number of publications, including Art in America, Who’s Who in the Arts and Who’s Who in the United States.