Dr. Chuck Aldridge
Candidate for NC State House
District 85
Chuck Aldridge has proudly called McDowell County his home for the past 24 years
while working as a teacher, coach and administrator in the McDowell public
schools, and running a bed and breakfast at his historic home in Old Fort. He
first came to the area as an eager young football player offered a chance to
play at Mars Hill College. One look was all it took. You might find him on
weekends running along mountain trails or translating the beauty of the region
with paint on canvas.
Chuck’s parents were like many in the World War II generation who moved about
after the war in search of new job opportunities while they started a family.
His father, still a carpenter, and his mother, a homemaker, live in South
Carolina. Chuck, the oldest of their five children, was born on Jan. 1, 1952,
and was the first in his family to attend college. He truly believes that
education is crucial in these rapidly changing times. He married his high school
sweetheart and they had the first of their three children as undergraduates at
Mars Hill. His wife, Deborah, is an English teacher in Buncombe County, and
their three children, all graduates of McDowell County schools, live and work in
North Carolina. He recently celebrated the arrival of his first grandchild and
is even more committed to a better future of all North Carolinians!
After earning a bachelor’s degree in education from Mars Hill, Chuck moved to
Tennessee to attend graduate school at Memphis State for a master’s degree in
education. It was in Memphis that his direction in education was charted. After
working as a physical education teacher for youngsters at an institution for
people with mental and behavioral problems, Chuck found himself connecting with
the disadvantaged youth. He and Debbie became foster parents to a youngster who
needed a stable home, and he decided to dedicate his career to special needs
children. His professional life has been dedicated to looking out for the least
of us, and he is a firm believer in personal responsibility.
Returning to the area from Memphis in 1981, Chuck took a job as a teacher with
McDowell County Schools. He worked as an assistant principal at the high school
before taking the job as director of the Exceptional Children’s Program in 1993.
After his three children graduated from high school he returned to graduate
school and received a doctorate in education from Western Carolina. In addition
to his administrative job, Chuck teaches classes for prospective teachers at
Mars Hill College in the evenings. During his tenure in the exceptional
children’s program, the dropout rate for students with disabilities has been
reduced and the employability of this population of students has increased.
Scores on testing for students with disabilities has risen to among the highest
in the state. Chuck believes that as other counties focus on quality schools to
produce a more educated work force to compete for American jobs, it is even more
important that students in District 85 receive a well-rounded, top-quality
education.
Chuck resides on Main Street in Old Fort, in a house built in the 1880’s. For 15
years he and his family ran The Inn at Old Fort, a bed and breakfast. Five years
ago they decided to end that business and have the house to themselves. Mary,
their youngest, lives at home and works in the McDowell County Schools. Michael,
their oldest, lives with his wife Morgan and their new baby, Jack, in High Point and works with Sealy. Nicholas lives in Old
Fort, works for the NC State Employees Credit Union and is married to Aletha, an
English teacher at McDowell High School.
As director of a large school district program with over one hundred and thirty
employees, Chuck excels at consensus building and enjoys learning from those
around him so that he can make the best decisions. Rather than sit back and
watch Raleigh become more like Washington DC, Chuck has stepped forward as a
common man with uncommon compassion who simply seeks to serve his district with
integrity and offer leadership with a vision that includes everyone.
