My parents were Lawrence natives and KU grads. They were good friends of Roy and Mary and their hangout was the Dine-A-Mite. As my sister and I grew up in Colorado, we always looked forward to Christmas and Thanksgiving trips to Lawrence, which always included gatherings with the Borgen family.
I didn't really get to know Chuck well until I was an adult. He was a great guy and always lent a helping hand. In the fall of 1988 I was limping into Lawrence for an overnight stay on my way back to Colorado from a summer construction adventure in New England. The alternator went out on my 1966 Volvo and Chuck helped me find an electrical shop to rebuild the part, put me up for a couple of days, and made the whole exasperating situation a positive rather than negative experience.
Chuck was always a big Jayhawk booster, and on many occasions pulled strings to get our family tickets to Allen Fieldhouse or Memorial Stadium. He and I had a running bet on any CU vs. KU as well as Broncos vs. Chief games. The wager was always $1, and was occasional paid in pennies or Canadian or Australian dollars.
We will miss Chuck, who was a part of our family, as were his parents.
RIP and Godspeed.
1/