Charles Vernon
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October 27, 1953 - December 20, 2019
Growing up in Lake Forest, Charlie loved theater and performance. He earned a BFA in dance from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he met his wife and made many lifelong friends. After college, he moved to Chicago, where he first was the Chicago Reader dance critic and then created his own work, primarily from 1977 through 1983 as the Charlie Vernon Performance Company, as well as an Urban Gateways teaching artist. In 1979, he co-founded Link's Hall Studio, which restaged one of his pieces for its 40th anniversary celebration, a great joy for him. The recipient of five National Endowment for the Arts Choreographic Fellowships, his was the first Chicago company to perform at New York's Dance Theatre Workshop, and he was selected as young choreographer in residence at the 1982 American Dance Festival. Beginning in 1983, Charlie had a successful career in residential real estate as a salesman and managing broker. Affiliated with several companies over 36 years, his primary home was Baird and Warner. Charlie is survived by his wife and best friend of over 40 years, Marybeth Schroeder; their three sons, Ted Vernon, Elliot Vernon, and Greg Vernon; and two granddaughters, Lily and Isabella Vernon and their mother Sok Theary Nak. He adored his family, often saying, "I always wanted a noisy house." |