Richard Charles (Chuck) Boelkins, II passed away on Sunday, October 26, 2014.
Born on Jan. 2, 1939, he was preceded in death by Richard C. Boelkins, MD, and Jean Blocksma Boelkins of Grand Rapids, MI. He attended Calvin College and graduated from Oberlin College. He attended University of Wisconsin as a research assistant to Dr. Harry Harlow where he received his M.Sc. (Experimental Psychology). He received his Ph.D. in experimental psychology in 1972 from Stanford University. He was elected to Society of the Sigma Xi.
Chuck served as Assistant Professor in the psychology department at Georgia State University from 1973-75. He worked for the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health in the late 1970's.
While at Harvard, Chuck served as a consultant to the World Health Organization and as a reviewer of grant applications and manuscripts submitted to several peer-reviewed scientific journals. In 1978, Chuck left academia to follow his passion in the arts and woodworking designing and building residential furniture. In the late ‘80s Chuck was selected to co-chair the first Rockdale County Comprehensive Land Use planning committee. He chaired a volunteer committee to develop a County Solid Waste Management Plan to include residential recycling. Chuck then created the Rockdale County Transfer/Recycling Center. For the last eleven years of his career, he worked in industrial recycling for the State of Georgia in the Department of Natural Resources.
He is survived by Sue Chappell of Conyers, his wife of 38 years; brothers, David D. Boelkins of Holland, MI and James Nelson Boelkins of Jennison, MI; his daughter, Valerie Jean Hayes of Springfield, VA and son, Richard Charles Boelkins III of Oakland, CA; his grandsons, William Bennett Hayes and Jonathon Roger Hayes also of Springfield VA.
A celebration of his life will be held Wednesday, October 29 at 11:30 a.m. at Scot Ward Funeral Services. The family requests there be no flowers. Donations may be made in Chuck's memory to www.nationalgeographicsociety.com or www.georgiaconservancy.org. Condolences may be submitted on-line at www.scotward.com. Scot Ward Funeral Services, 699 American Legion Road, Conyers, GA 30012, 770-483-7216.
