Senior Voices; Charlie Hnilicka - first in a series of interviews with Senior Citizens

Article and picture by Darlene Dunbar
“How can a stupid farm boy sell so many cars?” That’s what a manager wanted to know in 1969 when Charlie was awarded Salesman of the Year honors from the local Chevrolet dealership. You only have to spend a short amount of time with him to know the answer. He loves & respects people. And he never deceived them. “I always felt I could hold my head up high and see them the next day.”
Charlie was born in 1929 in Chester; lost his father just before his 11th birthday; claims two families: five children with his 1st wife and a son his 2nd wife brought into their marriage; worked in a number of occupations including Pratt-Whitney, the CT DMV & Ed Williams Chevrolet; became a life long Mason at 21; is a Rotary Club member with perfect attendance since 1972 assuring the monthly attendance requirement in places like Fairbanks & Anchorage, AK; has a passion for his Chevys and snowmobiling; and is someone who is still more a community volunteer than a service recipient and is quick to point the spotlight on other people & organizations for the help they give to others.
His advice to all of us & particularly young parents who he sees stretched in an overwhelming way between                              organized children activities and a push by media and society for material acquisition is to Slow Down. “My wealth is my family and friends.”
Most significant time in history that you lived? 1948-1975, those were magical years. Great advancements in electronics; the advent of TV and cell phones. Going to the 1939 & 1964 World’s Fair! My mother was a Ballek and one of a first group to cross the new E H Bridge in a wagon in 1913. I’ve lived through two Depressions, and was born in the 1st Depression. But there was a camaraderie during those hard days, pot luck suppers; people were willing to work together, to share your burdens and you were willing to share theirs. Today everyone is so busy, you have to make dates months ahead of time! We’re running ourselves ragged and really for what?
Person(s) who influenced you? When I was young I peddled milk in the a.m. & papers in the p.m. I had a 10 mile paper route,delivered over 100 papers a day in Chester. Along the paper route I acted as a herdsman for cattle and would stop to make sure they were fed/watered. One day a man went to my mother & said I was killing myself with work & if I just kept at that I wouldn’t amount to much & I needed to get a good education. She took some money that had been put away for my college & used it to send me for my junior & senior years to Stanton Military Academy in Virginia. I was a cadet & received my ROTC training but the war ended before I graduated so I was never in the service.(At the time of our meeting, Charlie had just returned from driving his 1957 Chevy 550 miles to his Stanton reunion.)
How do these years of your life differ from earlier times? I’m very fortunate. If I remain frugal & Social Security & Medicare don’t change, I can survive & even take an occasional trip. With the cost of Peg’s care up to her death (Peg died in 7/2011) everything evaporated so there’s enough to be comfortable but not for an unexpected disaster. I think there are a lot of people in my position. We planned years ago using what was in place and if they upset that & cut Social Security & make us pay more for hospital care, it’s going to be disastrous for many of us.
Supports/services in town you think are valuable? Any missing ones? I’m really amazed at the services that are available; the town & the Senior Center do an adequate job of getting to the heart of the necessary things, Meals on Wheels, the Food Bank, and even other things like senior bus trips. I don’t feel I qualify for them just because of my age but I’m taking advantage of some of them & that allows me to do things for other people.
What's still on your "bucket list?" Drive my 1928 Chevy in the Memorial Day Parade. And take my 57 Chevy & travel the US. It would really be a thrill. Her name is Gypsy. The color is Gypsy Red, I just shortened it to Gypsy!