Inspiration for PC’s Chadwell Endowment for Special Education passes away at age 92

Inspiration for PC’s Chadwell Endowment for Special Education passes away at age 92

Dr. Charles Chadwell

The man who inspired a gift to Presbyterian College for the future of special education in South Carolina passed away on April 13 in New Braunfels, Tex.

Dr. Charles Herbert Chadwell III died at age 92 – just weeks away from the eighth annual Charles Chadwell Special Education Institute hosted via Zoom by PC’s education department.

The Charles Chadwell Endowment for Special Education was established in 1984 by Francis and Jean Cothran to recognize Chadwell’s service as superintendent of Whitten Center in Clinton. The endowment provides scholarship awards for students who plan to continue their education in the field of special education, as well as funding for the annual institute for South Carolina educators.

Born in Omaha, Neb., Chadwell graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio, Tex. He was also a U.S. Army veteran, where he served as a captain.

He earned his master’s degree and a doctorate in special education from the University of Texas in 1970. After that, he moved his family to South Carolina to become superintendent of the Midlands Center in Columbia. Chadwell’s tenure at Midlands was the beginning of a new era of desegregation and compassionate care at facilities for people with special needs and their families.

In 1976, Chadwell came to Whitten Center and later became regional commissioner for the Upstate area, where he worked to establish educational, vocational, and residential programs to better serve clients with special needs.

Former S.C. Gov. Carroll Campbell presented Chadwell with the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor in the state, during Chadwell’s retirement in 1994.

Chadwell is survived by his wife, Barbara, their five children, 12 grandchildren, and 23 great-grandchildren.