Member Spotlight: Mr. Charles W. Hargrave

Member Spotlight: Mr. Charles W. Hargrave – JCSU Class of 1949

5/1/2020

Mr. Charles W. Hargrave is a Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) alumnus, class of 1949, with a major in chemistry. While attending JCSU, Mr. Hargrave became a dedicated member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. (Rho Chapter) in 1946. He also served as manager of the men’s basketball team and served on the student council for two years. In 1952, Mr. Hargrave obtained a Master of Arts degree from the Washington University in St. Louis (Missouri).

In 1962, Mr. Hargrave moved to Washington, DC and began working at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). He retired from NASA in 1989 after 27 years of dedicated Federal Government service as a Technical Information Manager.

Mr. Hargrave had many years of honorable service in the U.S. Military. He served from 1952 to 1954 in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. During his service in the U.S. Army, Mr. Hargrave held the position of Health Physicist in the Army Chemical Center. From 1955 to 1989, Mr. Hargrave served in the US Navy Reserve. During his tenure in the US Navy Reserve, Mr. Hargrave served as Commanding Officer for two units, and served as the Historian for the National Naval Officers Association. After 34 years of service, Mr. Hargrave retired as a Captain.

Mr. Hargrave has shown his dedication to his alma mater by holding the positions of President and Vice President of the Johnson C. Smith University DC Alumni Chapter. On the national JCSU alumni level, Mr. Hargrave also served as 1st Vice President, Treasurer, and Chaplin.

He has been a member of the Westminster Presbyterian Church of DC since 1968. Since becoming a member in 1968, he diligently served on three National Capital Presbytery committees as the Chair: the Committee on Representation, the Committee on Higher Education, and the Committee on Particular Constituencies. At the Senate Level, Mr. Hargrave served as the Chair of the Committee on Representation. At the National Level, in 1987, he served as the Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, USA.

Mr. Hargrave was born and raised in Dandridge, Tennessee, but has been a Washingtonian since 1962. Since moving to Washington, DC, Mr. Hargrave has shown his commitment and enthusiasm for DC by lending his time and effort to his community in various leadership roles. Mr. Hargrave has served as: President of the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly; The Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for five terms; the Chairperson of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission for one term; the Chairperson of the 1st District Police Advisory Council; the Area Representative for the DC Board of Election; and the Treasurer and Executive Board Member of the Friends of Southwest, DC.

In 1969, Mr. Hargrave married the love of his life, the beautiful Mrs. Iona (Taylor) Hargrave. The two will be celebrating 51 years of matrimony in 2020.