Biography
Charles was born the seventeenth (17th) child of poor farmers in North Alabama in the early 1960s. He grew up during turbulent times of violence and the civil rights struggle in the South.
He struggled with extremely low self-esteem and a severe speaking problem known as stuttering. As a result, he was terrified to speak in public and regarded himself as less than equal to others. His black neighborhood integrated an all-white school in the early 1970s and that action set him on a course to understanding and experiencing many racial occurrences.
Charles Holley - Early Years
A Product of the Civil Rights Era
Charles overcame extreme poverty and low self-esteem to excel at sports and receive an athletic scholarship to college. He graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration specializing in Management Information Systems.
He married his college sweetheart and they were blessed with two wonderful children. However, in 2001 their thirteen-year-old son, Torrell, suddenly went into cardiac arrest while playing basketball and died shortly afterwards. His death pushed the entire family into deep depression, but this tragedy led Charles to discover his talent for writing by penning his first book entitled, When Flowers Fade.
Charles Holley - Teen to Adult
Happiness, Tragedy, and Writing
Charles Holley - Today
An Accomplished Speaker and Author
Charles is an International Speaker and Award-winning Author. He is a thirty-year business professional who has served in various areas of leadership. Currently a Computer Engineer, Charles has written over six books to include 7 Needs of High Performing Employees and his latest, Black & White: Healing Racial Divide, that captured an International Award for Outstanding Non-fiction from the BookFest Spring 2022 contest.
A native of Alabama, Charles currently lives in Huntsville Alabama with his college-sweetheart and wife of over thirty-years. They had two children, a son named Torrell who passed away in 2001, and a daughter named Kiana.