Charles
E. Baumerich, son of Andrew Charles Baumerich (1919-1991) and Roseann Leyden
Baumerich (1922-1998), was born on May 11, 1951 in Paterson, New Jersey. In 1953
his family moved to Hawthorne, New Jersey, where his parents raised a family of
five children. Charles Baumerich was a product of the Hawthorne public school
system, attending both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson elementary schools
and later Hawthorne High School, where he graduated in 1969. He subsequently
attended Kingıs College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where he earned a
Bachelor of Arts degree in Government & Politics in 1973.
Upon
graduation from college Charles Baumerich enlisted in the United States Army as
a private soldier. Some twenty years later he retired as a major of the Adjutant
Generalıs Corps, having served at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and also in
California, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Kansas, Indiana, and twice in
Germany, where on his last tour he provided essential support to Operation
Desert Storm in Southwest Asia.
During
his military career Major Baumerich received a Master of Arts degree in
Management from Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, a Master
of Military Arts and Sciences degree from the United States Army Command and
General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and over twenty-five individual
military awards, medals and commendations for his achievement and service to the
nation.
After
retirement from active Army service, Charles Baumerich worked as a freelance web
site developer in Colorado Springs, Colorado for a Fortune 500 client. In 2001
he accepted a civilian position as Human Resources Manager for the United States
Army ROTC at the University of Colorado in Boulder. In this position he worked
with the future leadership of America at the University of Colorado until his
untimely demise of cancer on January 29, 2003.
Charles
Baumerichıs interests included Apple Macintosh computing and the Hash House
Harrier (HHH) running club, where under his "hashing" nickname ZiPpY,
he was Grand Master of the Pike's Peak HHH in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and an
internationally recognized pioneer in uniting the Worldwide hashing community
through e-mail and his role as webmaster, creating informative, influential, and
popular hashing sites on the Internet.
He
is survived by sisters Carol OıHara Baumerich, Lutherville, Maryland; Lois E.
Baumerich, Hawthorne, New Jersey; and brother Paul A. Baumerich, Sommerville,
New Jersey. He is predeceased by brother Andrew Baumerich, (1965-1995).
In
lieu of flowers or charitable contributions, ZiPpY's many friends in the Hash
House Harriers ask that you lift a beer (or any beverage of your choosing) to
his memory. There will be no services.
ZiPpY
to Flying Booger, July 8, 2002
My
Friend,
I
don't know if you were aware, but I have been being treated for cancer over the
past two years. Thus far I've had chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy and
surgery once again. Unfortunately nothing to date has stemmed the progression.
Two weeks from today (unless they change the date again), I go in to have the
left side of my face removed (including the eye) in a last ditch attempt at
survival. They will reconstruct with skin, fat and bone (jaw bone for an ass)
from my back, but the outcome is far from certain (the glass eye will make for
kewl bar tricks though).
I
know, bummer. Only a handful of people know of my condition now and that is
quite intentional. However, tonight (this morning actually) I wrote an obituary
in the events my 50/50 chance rolls craps. I have appended it to let your have a
whack at it (I respect your command of the English language) and give you a
head's up as to what might happen.
Just
thought that I'd give my favorite Hash eRag a scoop, when and if it comes to
pass.
ZiPpY
P.S.
Please don't tell anyone (OK to tell Pick'n'Flick though), all the well-meaning
sympathizers, advice givers, religion converters, etc. would drive me insane at
a time when I need my wits about me.
P.P.S.
Thanks buddy
Flying
Booger to ZiPpY, July 8, 2002
Dear
ZiPpY,
Surprise,
shock, anger, sadness . . . your letter guaranteed an emotional morning. Now
that I've had a few hours to reflect on all that you said, I'm sad but still
hopeful. I know your own assessment of your condition is the most accurate one,
and no doubt you've grown immune to the happy smoke docs like to blow up
patients' asses, but hey, they wouldn't be offering your another procedure if
they didn't have some hope, and therefore so do I.
I
totally understand your wish to keep this close hold. That puts me in the
position of having to ask for something while at the same time hating to ask it:
if the worst happens, I humbly ask that you arrange for someone to notify me so
that I can run your obit and let our friends know what really happened. If, on
the other hand, the operation cuts out the cancer or at the very least gives you
an extension on life and hashing, well, you can give me the good news yourself,
and we'll put all this away for another decade or three. I very much hope I hear
from you, ZiPpY, and not from someone else.
Thanks
for the vote of confidence in my writing and web page. Coming from you that's
high praise indeed. You do know that you're a guru to a whole generation of us?
Of course you do, and you should be proud of it.
Hang
in there, fat boy!
Best
Wishes and On On,
Flying Booger