PAA/DL Capt. Charles Alford Tarpley

~ IN MEMORY ~

USAF veteran, PAA/DL Capt. Charles Alford Tarpley

November 15, 1939 ~ April 12, 2020

Notification with the passing of retired Pan Am/Delta pilot Charles Alford Tarpley, age 80.  Capt. Tarpley joined Pan American 04-22-1968 and retired with Delta Air Lines based 030/ATL.  He is survived by his wife Mary Ellen.

Obituary information may be viewed online at

 https://obits.dallasnews.com/obituaries/dallasmorningnews/obituary.aspx?n=charles-alford-tarpley&pid=196128488

For those wishing to contact the family, whitepages lists the residence address as

3776 Alta Vista Lane,  Dallas, TX 75229

Thank you,

~ Carol for the PCN 

Obituary…… TARPLEY, Charles Alford

Charles Alford Tarpley, 80 years young, died peacefully on Easter Sunday morning, April 12, 2020. He is survived by his devoted wife, Mary Ellen, his sister, Mary Campfield, two nieces, Allison (Michael) Taten and Claire (Michael) Storino, five great nieces, a great nephew, and numerous cousins including Robert (Donna) Reece and family. His parents, Paul and Bernice Tarpley, preceded him in death.

Born in Sherman, Texas, Charles, a long-time Dallas resident, was a graduate of the Southern Methodist University School of Engineering, the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Business, and the University of Texas School of Law. Charles began his aviation career in 1961 with the United States Air Force (USAF). He flew twenty-six combat missions in Southeast Asia and was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal and Air Medal for his service. Upon receiving his Honorable Discharge from the USAF, he began his commercial flying career with Pan American World Airways. Charles flew Boeing 707, 727, 747, and Airbus A310 aircraft on six continents, and acted as a Pan Am designated check airman. With the sale of Pan Am's European route structure to Delta Air Lines in 1991, Charles became a Delta pilot where he flew Boeing 727, Airbus A310, and Lockheed 1011 aircraft. In addition, Charles was a Delta pilot instructor, teaching extensively in Delta's human factors and new-hire programs as well as the company's innovative Delta Pilot Instructor School until his retirement. His FAA aeronautical certificates included Airline Transport Pilot (with numerous type ratings), Flight Instructor (Multi & Single Engine Airplane, Instrument and Glider), Flight Engineer-Turbo Jet, and Ground Instructor. Charles not only had a distinguished flying career, but also worked as an electrical engineer at General Electric and as a lawyer specializing in aviation and insurance matters domestically and abroad. He practiced as an aviation trial attorney at Lord Bissell & Brook, and was the Senior Vice President and Secretary of the Aviation Office of America, Inc., a subsidiary of the Xerox Corporation. In addition to consulting with policyholders and insurance companies on aviation insurance matters, including coverage disputes and bad faith actions, Charles was retained frequently as an expert witness in aviation insurance matters.

A thought leader in his field, Charles often served as a featured speaker for numerous aviation and insurance conferences in the United States and Europe. He was admitted to practice in Texas, Illinois, and New York, the United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth, Seventh, and Eleventh Circuits, numerous United States District Courts, and the United States Tax Court. For 38 years, Charles served as the Chairman of the Southern Methodist University (SMU) Air Law Symposium, where he met Mary Ellen on March 1, 1987. The SMU Air Law Symposium was his labor of love. Charles also served SMU on the Board of the Journal of Air Law & Commerce, and taught Aviation Law as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Dedman School of Law. In 2016, the SMU Air Law Symposium honored him for his 35 years of distinguished service as Chairman. In 2017, SMU's Dedman School of Law honored him as one of six distinguished alumni and conferred upon him an Honorary Alumnus Award. Charles was also the past Chairman of the David Bernard Memorial Foundation in Los Angeles. Charles was buried at the National Cemetery in Dallas, Texas where a formal ceremony with military honors will be conducted at a later date.

Charles became a Roman Catholic in 2018, and a Memorial Mass will be celebrated in the future at Perkins Chapel at Southern Methodist University. Charles was proud to be an alumnus of SMU and was grateful for the prayers and support from the Sisters and Chaplain at the Monastery of the Blessed Sacrament.

Due to the Coronavirus, Mary Ellen requests that individuals refrain from sending flowers. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to SMU or the Monastery of the Blessed Sacrament. For SMU, donations should be directed to the Dedman School of Law at SMU and can be made online at https://giving.smu.edu/schools-areas/dedman-law/ or by check made out to the Dedman School of Law, indicating on the check that the gift is in memory of Charles Alford Tarpley, and sent to the SMU Office of Development, P.O. Box 750402, Dallas, TX, 75275-0402. For the Monastery of the Blessed Sacrament, donations may be made online at www.opnuns-fh.org or by check made out to the Monastery of the Blessed Sacrament, indicating on the check that the donation is in memory of Charles Alford Tarpley, and sent to the Monastery of the Blessed Sacrament, 29575 Middlebelt Road, Farmington Hills, Michigan 48334-2311.