Charles Vincent Flemming, 87, of Sarasota, died February 10th in Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Chuck was born in Mishawaka, IN on Oct 9, 1932; the second child of Molly and Joe. He attended parochial school in South Bend until WWII led his family to River Forest, IL where his father worked for Bendix. After the war, they returned to South Bend where Chuck graduated from Central Catholic HS. He entered Purdue University in 1951 where he studied pharmacy and became a member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. Schooling was interrupted due to the post Korean War military service. Drafted into the U.S. Army, he subsequently served as an artillery specialist in Austria & Germany. Returning to Purdue two years later, he received his B.S. Pharmacy in 1957. Purdue also named him a Distinguished Alumnus in 1985, and awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Science in 1994. In addition, he holds a M.S. in Industrial Pharmacy, with Minor in Industrial Management, from Butler University; and an Advanced Management Certificate from Northeastern University.
Chuck met his future wife, Madonna Mae Dienhart of W. Lafayette Indiana, while at Purdue. Madonna also graduated from Purdue Pharmacy (B.S. 1958) with honors including membership in Mortar Board. They were married in Lafayette on August 30th, 1958. Both felt that their Purdue experience was a very strong, positive influence on their lives; and they have been enthusiastic supporters of the University ever since, thankful they were in a position to share some of their good fortune with the School.
Chuck’s career in the pharmaceutical industry spanned 40 years covering a variety of scientific, technical and line management responsibilities in R&D, manufacturing and corporate management. He began his career in 1957 in Research with Pitman-Moore Co., Indianapolis. Chuck joined Sterling Drug in 1965 working in various Technical Manager roles in Myerstown, PA; Trenton, NJ; Rensselaer, NY; and as General Manager in McPherson, KS where he directed the design, construction and start-up of a state of the art injectable drug facility. He then moved to Chatham, NJ in 1980 where he was Senior VP of Technical Operations for Schering-Plough Corp, and finally VP and Director of Technical Operations for Hoffman-LaRoche before retiring in 1996 to establish a management consulting practice
Chuck’s technical contributions include extensive active participation and chairmanships in professional organizations including The American Pharmaceutical Association, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Association for Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and the Instrument Society of America.
In support of his commitment to the community, Chuck served on numerous boards and councils including the boards of NewForm Development Laboratories, Inc. Georgetown TX; IRIX Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Florence SC; Consortium for the Advancement of Manufacturing in Pharmaceuticals, Devon PA; Board of Visitors, Butler University, Indianapolis IN; Industrial Advisory Council, Purdue University, West Lafayette IN; and the Newark Renaissance House, Inc., Newark NJ.
While able, Chuck was an avid and “passionate” golfer. He was a lifelong sports fan supporting all of Purdue’s teams especially Football and Basketball, along with the Chicago White Sox. He thoroughly enjoyed reading history, and studying the lives of the great leaders throughout time.
Chuck was preceded in death by his two brothers, Joe and Kevin. He is survived by his beloved wife of 61 years, Madonna; his children Sue (Bart) Wingert, Mike, Mark (Lucinda) and Dave (Valerie); and his sister Maureen Lane. Chuck also leaves six grandchildren: Allie, Christian (McKenzie), Emma, Amanda, Hanna (Corbin Wertz) and Cameron.
The funeral service will be Saturday, February 22nd, at 2 pm at Robert Toale & Sons Funeral Home – Wiegand Chapel, 7454 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota 34231. The service will be preceded by a visitation starting at 1 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Purdue Foundation, 403 West Wood St., W. Lafayette, IN 47907; or Tidewell Hospice, Philanthropy Dept., 5955 Rand Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34283.
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