Charles Dawes Tipton

Charles Dawes Tipton,
1925-2008

As regular researchers of the Tipton family history know, Charles D. Tipton of Garland Texas was our preeminent Tipton family researcher.  


Charles died unexpectedly on January 2, 2009 in Garland, Texas during a domestic dispute with his step-daughter.

Chales D. Tipton with fellow Tipton family researchers
TFAA Reunion at Tipton-Haynes Historic Site
Johnson City, Tennessee
August 1994

I first met Charles in August of 1994 when I attended my first TFAA (Tipton Family Association of America) reunion in Johnson City, Tennessee in August of 1994.  Prior to meeting Charles, I had been in contact with him by e-mail and phone during my research of our mutual family tree.  

TFAA Reunion
Johnson City, Tennessee
August 1994

Charles was a gruff, curmudgeon 'Wilfred Brimley" character and an excellent genealogist.  As anyone who has dealt with him knows, Charles insisted on absolute accuracy in researching our Tipton family history.  Charles always dismissed the notion that we are descended from Anthony de Tipton of the year 1200 in England.  The same Anthony de Tipton who slew the mortal Welsh enemy of King Edward I on the battlefield thus enabling Edward to accede the throne of the united kingdoms of Wales and England in the 1200's. 

Charlie Tipton in a lighter moment

 Charles was the longtime editor of the TFAA newsletter.  Charles also wrote the definitive book on Tipton genealogy called "Tipton- The First Five Generations."  


I remember clearly when Charles son Lee called me at my job at the hotel where I work as a front desk clerk.  I had never spoken to Lee before.  He found my e-mail address on his father's computer and wanted to notify me of his father's untimely death.  Of course I was shocked.  Charles was such a large part of my genealogy research.  Many of us Tipton researchers went to Charles for the definitive answer to any genealogy questions we had about our Tipton family research.  I so appreciate Lee getting in touch with me and informing me of his father's passing.  


I was concerned with what would happened to all of Charles' research now that he was gone.  Lee didn't know what to do with it.  He said he was interested in it but only to read it.  Lee couldn't continue his father's research.


After several subsequent conversations with Lee I made arrangements with the Tipton-Haynes Historical Site in Johnson City, Tennessee to accept all of the documentation on the Tipton family that Charles had accumulated over the years.  Lee also agreed to send me the TFAA records, including the lineage sheets.  


Penny McLaughlin, director of Tipton-Haynes now has a project to copy all of Charles' research onto computers at the Tipton-Haynes Historic site.  I will record the lineage sheets that Charles painstakingly accrued over his years in stewardship as editor of the TFAA Newsletter.  I will enter this information into the Tipton family tree data base that I keep on Ancestry.com.  


The following is the obituary that appeared for Charles Tipton in the Garland Texas local newspaper:

Charles Dawes Tipton
1925-2008

TIPTON, CHARLES DAWES (CHARLIE), Born on March 10, 1925 in the Cross Timbers Region at Dublin, Texas, he died unexpectedly on January 29, 2008 in Garland, Texas. He leaves behind Louise, his wife of 39 years; daughters Bonnie, Beccye and Terry; sons Roger and Lee; granddaughters Stephanie, Vanessa, Jessica and Lauren; grandsons Ben, Shane, Tim, Zachary, and Tyler; great grandsons Steven, Charlie Wade and Will; great granddaughters, Kaila and Devin; daughters in-law, Jacci, Aimee and Kelley, and son in-law Bob. He was preceded in death by his parents, David Butler and Ora Lee of Dublin, Texas; brother, David Butler of Fort Worth, Texas and his son, Paul, of Garland, Texas. Charlie was recruited from Dublin High School to play football at Baylor in 1942. Soon convinced he was too small to play college football, he left Baylor in 1943 to serve his country in the U. S. Navy during WWII. After the war he studied at and graduated from UT Austin with an M. S. in Electrical Engineering and a job at the university. With a growing family he left the university in 1955 for a career in industry. Following intermediate service at Collins Radio and Temco Aircraft, he joined E-Systems and worked at Garland, Texas though retirement in 1988. He grew to be widely recognized and personally known and loved by so many at E-Systems; literally from the janitor to the CEO. Charlies professional career spanned the emergence and the death throes of what some early recognized as the Evil Empire. While at E-Systems he held many senior posts in science and technology developments of highly advanced reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence systems. A brilliant man of impeccable integrity, Charlies contributions to the nations security were well appreciated and recognized both by his family at E-Systems, and by his special customers. Charlies keen intellect, boundless curiosity, steel trap memory, and laser wit will be sorely missed by the family he loved so deeply, and no less by the great host of souls he counted as Friend. He loved his family and friends unconditionally, and he was all about exploring and sharing with those he so loved, the very breadth and the depth and the full richness that life has to offer until his very last moment. He was one of Gods truly exceptional sons and simply a gem of a man. A memorial service is planned for 1:00 pm, Thursday, February 7, 2008 at Restlands Memorial Chapel, located at Greenville and Walnut. Restland 972-238-7111 restlandfuneralhome.com

OB6 Obituaries, Notices
Published in the Dallas Morning News on 2/3/2008.