"Charley"

The story of Charles Wood, whose extensive philanthropy has touched countless lives.

Story and Photos by Josh Schermerhorn

Born in Lockport, NY, in 1914, Charles Reeves Wood showed a drive for success at an early age.  At the age of 13, Wood bought a house for his family, and even restored his own Model T Ford.  Raised during the Great Depression, "Charley"understood the value of the dollar and became a strong investor because of it, ranging from building America's first theme park to philanthropy work with the late Paul Newman.

Wood’s first taste in the workforce was a mechanic for General Motors and Curtiss Wright Aircraft.  These positions gave him the opportunity to be a mechanic supervisor in the Royal Air Force and Douglas Aircraft in Egypt.

Once returning from the war, Wood found the Lake George region, and with it came business opportunity.  His entrepreneur work in the area included Arrowhead Lodge in Schroon Lake and the Holiday House in Lake George.  In 1954, his business acquisition was in particular a five-acre plot of land just south of the lake for $75,000.  On this plot he built Storytown, U.S.A.  The Mother Goose nursery-rhyme theme officially made it the first ever theme park in the United States.  The world-famous Disney World opened one year after, making Wood the "father of the amusement park."

After making business moves in the region including hotels, small fun parks, and restaurants, he finally sold Storytown (which he renamed the Great Escape in 1982) in 1996.  However, Wood’s contributions to the community were more than a resort or an amusement park.  In 1978, Wood started the Charles R. Wood Foundation, aimed at helping the arts, healthcare and children in northern New York. 

Wood has made donations to the Hyde Museum in Glens Falls, NY.  In one donation session including the auctioning of his own Russian urns and his 1993 Duisenberg, he generated $5.8 million, the largest single donation of the museum’s history.  Also in Glens Falls was his $1 million donation to the children’s center in the Crandall Library.

In 1991, Wood purchased a 300-acre dude ranch in Lake Luzerne, NY.  From this came the Double "H"Hole in the Woods Ranch, a camp designed to tend to children suffering from cancer or other blood-related illnesses.  Partnered with the late actor and fellow philanthropist Paul Newman, the two founded the program, and since thousands of children have been cared for at the ranch. 

"We would not be anything without Charley Wood.”

"His perseverance to duplicate Newman’s ranch in Connecticut made this the success it is,"says ranch CEO Max Yurenda.  "Wood’s done everything for us.  He took care of the budget, and has put $12 million into the program over the years.  He wanted to see it grow every year, not just succeed.  From his drive we have a tremendous year-round program with seasonal activities and trips for children.  We would not be anything without Charley Wood.”

Even the medical field could not escape Wood's generosity.  Being a cancer survivor himself, and losing his wife and close friend to the disease, Wood turned to the Glens Falls Hospital to make a difference.  Ray Agnew, the vice president of community relations for the hospital, was very involved with Wood.

"He had made smaller donations to the hospital before that were still very generous and substantial,"says Agnew.  "However, this was at a revolutionary time in cancer research development.  New radiation treatments like the IMRT (Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy) were new age, and he knew it."

"Once he told me he wished he had a billion dollars, because he’d love to give that away just as much.”

In October 2001, Wood donated $1.4 million to the hospital, and subsequently the cancer center was renamed the Charles R. Wood Cancer Center. 

"He was always receptive and approachable to everyone in the center and elsewhere,"says Agnew.  "You would never go up to him and feel that he wasn’t just a regular person.  Once he told me he wished he had a billion dollars, because he’d love to give that away just as much."

In 2004, Wood decided to make one more contribution to the area by helping to fund a theater in downtown Glens Falls.  Following his donations which totaled $500,000 from the foundation, the theater was named the Charles R. Wood Theater.

"He knew it was going to be named after him, but did not want it to be since so many other things were named after him,"says Bill Woodward, the executive director of the theater. 

"We do what we can for society, but it must come from our heart."

"His donations were generous, but not free.  He always said ‘if you raise it, I’ll match it’, because Wood believed if you worked for it you would think more of the project.  He built the theater to encourage children to get into the theater and arts,"says Woodward.

Later that year, Wood passed away at the age of 90.  However, his contributions live on in what he provided for the community he helped to improve.  You can see his impact in cancer treatments, books, paintings, hotel rooms and restaurants around the Lake George region, all of which he helped fund.  He also lives on in his foundation which is still charitable to the community every year.  As quoted by the Charles R. Wood Cancer Center, he said, "we do what we can for society, but it must come from our heart."

Have you ever been to Storytown?