Charlie O’Brien volunteers at the Navarino Nature Center and the Woodland Chapter of Wisconsin Deer Hunters. He is a Shawano native, graduating from Shawano High School.
O’Brien earned a degree in history from Valparaiso University and a master’s in history from Northern Michigan University. During his senior year at Valparaiso, he was drafted by the Detroit Lions. After five games, he injured his knee and was released. For five years he taught history and English at Wonewoc High School, and was the football and track coach and the assistant basketball coach. Then O’Brien taught history for 27 years at Preble High School in Green Bay, where he was the assistant coach for football and track. He retired in 1999.
For more than 25 years, O’Brien was the secretary/manager of the Shawano County Agricultural Society, which involved him in the fair and the stock car races. He was instrumental in getting country stars, such as Garth Brooks, to perform at the fair. For 15 years he had a radio show, “Old-fashioned Christmas,” where he told stories and played music.
Charlie and his wife, Cleida, have been married 39 years and have three children. They live in the town of Wescott and enjoy going to casinos.
“I’ve been many places, but I always come back to Shawano,” O’Brien said.
Q What do you do at the Navarino Nature Center?
A “I’m on the board of directors. I’m the chairman of the membership committee. I go out and try to interest them in becoming members. At Bonduel Founder’s Day, I have a trailer fixed up and chairs, and anybody who wants to talk, we talk. I take membership applications along. We go in parades. I’ve been doing that about 12 years.”
Q Why should people join?
A “Because you have 15,000 acres of unspoiled land, forests and swamp. No roads through it. It’s the way nature wanted it. They have something happening there almost every week.”
Q Why do you think it’s important?
A “Because nature is the one thing that we all have in our history. When something is so pure and clean as Navarino Nature Center, we should protect it at all costs. And it’s educational.” (The Navarino Nature Center is a nonprofit organization specializing in education for area schools and located on 15,000 acres of Department of Natural Resources property.)
Q How do you help the Woodland Chapter of Wisconsin Deer Hunters?
A “I helped get it started. I’ve been president ever since we started, close to 18 years. I was vice president of the state organization for five years. State meetings are at Gresham at The Woodland. We get a lot of people coming here.”
Q What is the purpose?
A “To protect the deer and make sure there aren’t violations. We try to make deer hunting a good thing to do.”
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