Chattanooga has recognized Signal Mountain resident Charles H. Coolidge as a war hero since 1945. While an older generation besieged this medal-of-honor winner with requests for autographs when he returned from WWII, a younger generation knows his name because of the park that bears his name on the north side of town. Although Coolidge has often been treated like war hero Harry Bailey in the 1946 film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” his similarity to Harry’s older brother, George, has never been recognized. Coolidge has spent more of his life working faithfully in his family business that he has in combat.
For the past 63 years, Coolidge has worn a tie to work at the Chattanooga Printing Company, started by his father, Walter P. Coolidge, over one hundred years ago. After he laid down his arms in 1945, he began to face new battles as a printer with the rise of new printing technologies. Although the printing community at large is struggling, the integrity of the Coolidge family business has carried it through.
Only two minutes walking distance from the park named in his honor 89-year-old Coolidge sits in his office surrounded by photographs, plaques, and flags that look and smell of an era long passed. His son, John, sitting to his left, describes the hardship the business has faced in the past twenty years.
“I feel for each person that I work with, because it’s really hard. I’ve been here for forty years now. When we started, we had handset type and three line of type machines.”
He shows off the old equipment gathering dust. A line of type machine sits in the basement ready to be moved out. Yet thanks to the Coolidges’ old-fashioned work ethic, the company has no debt, and the Coolidges’ maintain complete ownership. To them, continuing to print is about fighting for family values in an age when some will do anything to make a profit.
“It’s not just about making money. It’s about relationships and people,” John says.
A suffering printing community is not the only difficult thing Coolidge has faced since his return from the war. Over the years, Coolidge and his family have also fought for the park named after Charles in 1945. When word got out that contractors were planning to build real estate on it in the sixties, Charles’ wife, Frances, started a crusade to save the park.
“She would write these letters to the district commissioner,” Charles chuckles “Finally, Jean Roberts, the mayor at the time, says, “‘No one will build anything until they talk to Charles.’”
Up until the time Frances passed away, she and Charles would drive through the park every evening. “To make sure everything was OK,” Charles says.
Although the Coolidges are positive about new developments in and around the park and appreciative of the city’s stewardship, they hope the deeper meaning of the park will not be lost on the fountains and the carousel.
“The park is about remembering all the WWII veterans,” John says. “My father was just the example.”
Charles describes that in the forties, recreational activities were replaced by wartime activities. To him, Coolidge Park represents a peace that was hard won by a generation for its children and grandchildren.
“This was robbed from these people,” he says, speaking of all men and women who served in the military.
Coolidge’s legacy in Chattanooga will not easy be forgotten. A walk through the park on Independence Day reveals Chattanoogans at the height of their patriotism—the grass is a sea of red white and blue as the symphony plays the Stars and Stripes for the annual ‘Pops in the Park.’ Children linger around a stone plaque dedicated to Coolidge’s service in the army. While his victories for his county and his park will be celebrated by the public for years to come, his sons will never forget his loving dedication to his family and business.
Still, Coolidge is not ready to put down his guard just yet. Always a fighter, he is not afraid to face whatever difficulty may come next.
“I take life one day at a time,” he says.
Read CityScope Magazine's article on local WWII heroes on our website.
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