Before joining Alweg Charles "Chuck" Lindholm had worked in Disneyland, where he had been responsible for the electrical maintenance of the Disney-Alweg monorail. In the course of Alweg's Seattle monorail project Charles "Chuck" Lindholm was in Braunschweig, West Germany, at the LHB-plant (builder of the Seattle Alweg trains), where together with the German Alweg engineers he coordinated the installation of American equipment components in the trains.
During this time Charles "Chuck" Lindholm of course also visited Alweg's Cologne offices and facilities.
And it was during this time that I first met Chuck Lindholm. He visited us in our Cologne apartment. I was thirteen years old then and Chuck was the first American I ever met in person.
Months later we again met, - this time in Seattle. Chuck gave our family first guided tours through the Seattle area, including an unforgettable first car tour (in his for us amazing '59 Chevrolet Impala) all the way to the Canadian border, - introducing us also to American apple pie with ice cream.
Just like that, as if he had known us for a long time already!
Chuck made us feel very welcome in this for us totally new world. We became good friends and it was a sad day when we had to leave Seattle in 1966. We however never lost touch and in 1998 Chuck and his wife Mary visited Cologne for a very personal and moving "Alweg reunion" with our family.
For me Chuck was and always will be "the good American friend", - today one would also say "role model" !
For my father Chuck was not only a very respected and skilled professional, but also a highly regarded colleague and a true friend ...
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