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Local man sees the world, finds home is where the heart is
January 28, 2007
CHILOQUIN - Not many people see the parallels between living in the jungles of Indonesia and a Klamath County town of about 1,000 residents.
Chuck Wells has lived in Chiloquin with his wife, Sally, for 20 years after living in Africa and the East Indies working for oil companies. His experiences with so many cultures has helped him understand and know the different people who make up the small town's population.
“Our roots are really deep here now,” he said.
Wells was born in New York, but his family moved to the San Francisco area before he was 2 years old and he spent his youth there. He joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 1943 and served on North Atlantic ice patrol during World War II. He was discharged in 1946.
After the military, he went to San Jose State and San Francisco State universities and became an elementary school teacher. He taught in the San Francisco area for six years and spent time teaching classes at San Quentin State Prison.
Wells earned a master's degree from the University of California-Berkeley and worked as an ambulance driver and for the California Extension Service.
Then a friend approached him with an opportunity.
Lucrative offer
The friend worked in the training division for a California oil company and told Wells about overseas consulting jobs. Wells talked it over with his first wife and two sons, who were in high school at the time, and decided to go.
From 1968 to 1971, Wells, his first wife and two sons, lived in Abadan, Iran, while he worked for the National Iranian Oil Company, operated by Royal Shell and Dutch Shell. Iran wasn't the friendliest place, even then.
“There was artillery on both sides of the creek,” Wells said, referring to continual conflicts between Iran and Iraq.
Unsafe conditions
Anti-American sentiments that erupted in the late 1970s and early 1980s were only an undercurrent then, but still made Iran frightening. Wells said he fell in love with the country nonetheless, and his family enjoyed it as well.
The family befriended an American pilot, and he became a role model for Wells' two sons, teaching them guitar and treating them as his own.
As the family's Middle East stint ended, Wells said several of his Iranian coworkers gave him a farewell party, complete with a relaxing meal and poetry readings.
The family returned to the states and Wells went to work for Blue Cross. He and his first wife divorced, and he married Sally. It wasn't long before his friend called again, and he and Sally were living in Tripoli, Libya, working for Mobil.
The couple stayed in Africa for 18 months, and Wells did the same work he'd done in Iran. The scenery was different, and they often saw Roman antiquities along with German and British military gear left over from World War II.
“You began to realize you were just up to here in history.”
On the move
After Tripoli, they transferred to Indonesia in 1979. Wells recruited youth for engineering training programs, and he was amazed at their ability. Fewer than 5 percent of the students dropped out, despite the advanced studies.
He and Sally lived “belly to belly” with Indonesia's population, which includes six religions and four nationalities. They traveled throughout the island nation, staying in guest homes and taking boat trips through the country's jungles.
They returned to the United States in 1982 and traveled to California before settling on a ranch in Chiloquin. Wells said they saw the place in a blizzard and a rainstorm before moving in.
Chiloquin was pushing through a recession when the couple arrived. The residents were tougher, and ranching was still a large part of the economy. The Klamath Tribes had just reorganized and were struggling.
Finding a niche
Wanting to be involved, the couple jumped in. Wells joined the volunteer fire department and the Cattlemen's Association, and Sally joined the Cattlewomen's Association.
Their experiences overseas, interacting with people from so many backgrounds, helped them adjust and know their neighbors. The couple were part of a group of citizens who helped fund construction of the Chiloquin Community Center.
Chiloquin still has its difficulties, but Wells says the town is on the road to improvement. He and Sally say they plan to stick around.
“They're gonna find us wrapped in newspapers,” he said.
-Ty Beaver
CHILOQUIN - Not many people see the parallels between living in the jungles of Indonesia and a Klamath County town of about 1,000 residents.
Chuck Wells has lived in Chiloquin with his wife, Sally, for 20 years after living in Africa and the East Indies working for oil companies. His experiences with so many cultures has helped him understand and know the different people who make up the small town's population.
“Our roots are really deep here now,” he said.
Wells was born in New York, but his family moved to the San Francisco area before he was 2 years old and he spent his youth there. He joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 1943 and served on North Atlantic ice patrol during World War II. He was discharged in 1946.
After the military, he went to San Jose State and San Francisco State universities and became an elementary school teacher. He taught in the San Francisco area for six years and spent time teaching classes at San Quentin State Prison.
Wells earned a master's degree from the University of California-Berkeley and worked as an ambulance driver and for the California Extension Service.
Then a friend approached him with an opportunity.
Lucrative offer
The friend worked in the training division for a California oil company and told Wells about overseas consulting jobs. Wells talked it over with his first wife and two sons, who were in high school at the time, and decided to go.
From 1968 to 1971, Wells, his first wife and two sons, lived in Abadan, Iran, while he worked for the National Iranian Oil Company, operated by Royal Shell and Dutch Shell. Iran wasn't the friendliest place, even then.
“There was artillery on both sides of the creek,” Wells said, referring to continual conflicts between Iran and Iraq.
Unsafe conditions
Anti-American sentiments that erupted in the late 1970s and early 1980s were only an undercurrent then, but still made Iran frightening. Wells said he fell in love with the country nonetheless, and his family enjoyed it as well.
The family befriended an American pilot, and he became a role model for Wells' two sons, teaching them guitar and treating them as his own.
As the family's Middle East stint ended, Wells said several of his Iranian coworkers gave him a farewell party, complete with a relaxing meal and poetry readings.
The family returned to the states and Wells went to work for Blue Cross. He and his first wife divorced, and he married Sally. It wasn't long before his friend called again, and he and Sally were living in Tripoli, Libya, working for Mobil.
The couple stayed in Africa for 18 months, and Wells did the same work he'd done in Iran. The scenery was different, and they often saw Roman antiquities along with German and British military gear left over from World War II.
“You began to realize you were just up to here in history.”
On the move
After Tripoli, they transferred to Indonesia in 1979. Wells recruited youth for engineering training programs, and he was amazed at their ability. Fewer than 5 percent of the students dropped out, despite the advanced studies.
He and Sally lived “belly to belly” with Indonesia's population, which includes six religions and four nationalities. They traveled throughout the island nation, staying in guest homes and taking boat trips through the country's jungles.
They returned to the United States in 1982 and traveled to California before settling on a ranch in Chiloquin. Wells said they saw the place in a blizzard and a rainstorm before moving in.
Chiloquin was pushing through a recession when the couple arrived. The residents were tougher, and ranching was still a large part of the economy. The Klamath Tribes had just reorganized and were struggling.
Finding a niche
Wanting to be involved, the couple jumped in. Wells joined the volunteer fire department and the Cattlemen's Association, and Sally joined the Cattlewomen's Association.
Their experiences overseas, interacting with people from so many backgrounds, helped them adjust and know their neighbors. The couple were part of a group of citizens who helped fund construction of the Chiloquin Community Center.
Chiloquin still has its difficulties, but Wells says the town is on the road to improvement. He and Sally say they plan to stick around.
“They're gonna find us wrapped in newspapers,” he said.
-Ty Beaver
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