Charles Moore Swift Jr.'s Obituary
Born on September 26, 1940 in Boston, MA, Charles Moore Swift Jr. was the eldest of three sons of Charles Moore Swift and Mary Titus Swift. Known to all as Charley, he and his brothers Tom and David spent their formative years in Exeter, NH, where their father taught math and coached rowing at Phillips Exeter Academy. Childhood hijinx included tales that, by some tellings, were later immortalized in novels by John Irving. Charley’s first home was 42 Front Street, then known as Exeter’s Bell House. His love for the Boston Red Sox was nurtured by his mother from his early youth, where he particularly identified with Dom DiMaggio who successfully played for the Red Sox with pronounced glasses, much like the “Coke-bottle” glasses Charley wore from a young age. His own Little League career was punctuated by an unlikely game-winning home run captured in the local paper and saved (and shared) for decades.
Charley attended Phillips Exeter Academy, graduating in 1958. Coached by his father, he was a part of a crew fondly termed the “Whiz Kids” for their intellect and surprising boat speed. A race on Lake Quinsigamond in Massachusetts was captured by a Sports Illustrated photographer, with an image that Charley would proudly show, pointing out how his boat was outpacing the puddles their oars produced. He continued his rowing at Princeton University, where he graduated with an AB in Geology in 1962. While there, Charley met his first wife, Tricia; they were married in 1963. After graduating from Princeton, he went to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where in 1967 he earned a PhD in Geophysics. His thesis dissertation, titled “A Magnetotelluric Investigation of an Electrical Conductivity Anomaly in the Southwestern United States”, was with Professor Theodore R. Madden, who was both an academic mentor and fellow avid club hockey player. In this dissertation Charley devised a method of reducing magneto-telluric data that became known as the “Swift Equations”, which is taught at university and professional levels to this day. By Charley’s telling, by hip-checking Professor Madden in a club hockey game he added a month to his thesis timeline.
After completing his PhD, Charley and Tricia moved to Salt Lake City, UT, where he worked for the Kennecott Copper Corporation, and during which time his daughter, Alison (1970) and son, Geoffrey (1972) were born. In 1976 Charley and his family moved to Berkeley, CA, to work for Chevron Corporation (Standard Oil of California) and raise his family. Charley was a dedicated Chevron employee, advancing to be Chief Geophysicist. He earned Chevron’s “Chairman’s Award” in 1991 for his work in discovering a major copper-gold deposit in Chile.
Charley was an avid and accomplished hiker, which started in New Hampshire’s White Mountains where as a teen he worked as a “hut boy” at Madison Hut and Crag Camp in the 1950’s. During his years in Utah Charley and his family skied at Alta and Snowbird and hiked in the Wasatch Mountains. In California, he loved hiking, camping, and skiing in the Sierra Nevada mountains with family and friends. In addition to sharing his love for the mountains with his children, he pursued his passion summiting Mt. Shasta, the Grand Teton, Mont Blanc, and the Matterhorn.
Charley married Linda Dismore Raedeke on March 14, 1992 (Pi day!), brought together by a love for geology, mountains, humor, and music. They built a house atop the Berkeley hills with architect Henrik Bull; this was a particular joy, as Charley often described himself as a “frustrated architect”. He and Linda immersed themselves in the project and had a wonderful time doing it. Many evenings were spent enjoying their sweeping view of the Bay Area with food and wine, music, family, and friends.
Charley was struck by a bus in Australia in late 1993, and suffered a traumatic brain injury, shaping his later years. With the support and love of his devoted wife Linda, these years were loving and full as they together demonstrated remarkable courage and tenacity throughout his recovery. Charley and Linda continued to travel, with trips to Italy, Greece, Turkey, Switzerland, and New England and Montana. In later years they enjoyed self-described “paradox patrols” - a pun on their PhDs - and explored the California coastline extensively in a Sprinter Van. He lived at home with Linda and his beloved Maine Coon cats until 2021, when he moved to Chaparral House in Berkeley.
Charley is survived by his wife Linda of 33 years; brother David of Exeter, NH; daughter Dr. Alison Packard (married to Zander) of Chestnut Hill, MA; son Geoffrey (married to Meg) of Yarmouth, ME; and grandchildren Caleb, Avery, and Rowan Packard; and Hannah and David Swift.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a tax-deductible donation to Chaparral House, in memory of Charley Swift.
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