"Baltimore native who was a pioneer in the field of robotics."

Charles "Chuck" Morrison Shoemaker, a longtime resident of Baldwin, MD and a noted robotics researcher for the U.S. military, died at St. Joseph's hospital in Towson, MD on July 21st.

Born in Baltimore on New Years Eve 1950, he was the son of Charles J. Shoemaker, a respiratory protection expert for the U.S. government, and Mary Ruth James, a homemaker and teacher. Growing up in Baltimore City and later Baltimore County, he attended Calvert Hall College High School, where he was a member of the swim team.

From an early age, Chuck had an interest in science, and would follow NASA missions with his father. He attended Loyola University in Baltimore, earning Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Psychology in 1972 and 1978 respectively. After receiving his undergraduate degree, he spent several years working as a bicycle mechanic with a group of close friends at Sports and Cycles International. While working there, he met his future wife, Mindy C. Thompson, while they were both members of the Baltimore Bicycling Club. They married in 1976.

Chuck entered federal government service in 1975 as a Department of the Army civilian, beginning a 31-year career. He worked as a physical scientist initially in the Human Engineering Laboratory, which later became the Army Research Laboratory. In his time there, he was an early proponent of the potential for unmanned robotics systems as a force multiplier for the Army. Starting in the early 1980s, he initiated and led a series of increasingly complex robotics technology demonstrations (often coordinated with military exercises) that showcased the potential for teleoperated and eventually fully autonomous unmanned ground systems in military environments. This led to an array of collaborations with partners including the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA), the National Institute of Standards, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was selected as a project manager for robotics systems at DARPA from 1995-1996. Many of the core technologies developed during these projects are coming to the forefront in our everyday life today with the proliferation of semi and eventually fully autonomous vehicles on our highways.

Over the years, Chuck became an acknowledged subject matter expert in the field of robotics. He served as a U.S. government representative at a large number of domestic and international meetings, was the author of numerous publications, and was featured in media such as "The New York Times", "The Wall Street Journal", "Popular Science", and "The History Channel". He retired from government service in 2006 and then worked in the private industry first at Robotics Research Inc., and later at General Dynamics Land Systems. After several years in the private industry, he returned to government service as a federal annuitant where he worked at the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics RD&E Center until his final retirement in 2021.

Over the course of his life, Chuck had an array of hobbies including bicycle repair/riding, air riflery, running, woodworking, amateur astronomy, tropical fish aquariums, and fly-fishing. The man was also a voracious reader, always with a book or two or twenty close at hand. By all accounts, the fact that he was never outright banned from the Hartford County Public Library System due to late/permanently missing books is a minor miracle. A fan of science fiction from an early age, he would never be dissuaded from the firm belief that the 1956 sci-fi classic "Forbidden Planet" was the best movie ever made.

Chuck was always full of energy and eager to help strangers and friends. He left a lasting impression with all who knew him. While he was frequently late to meetings and sporting events and perpetually in danger of missing flights, he was always there when it mattered. He thought of others before himself and left those around him richer for having known him.

He is survived by his loving wife of 46 years, Mindy, who went above and beyond caring for him in the difficult final years of his life, his children Jason and Christina, and by his four grandchildren Ellie, Liam, Emory, and August.

A memorial service will be held at 11 am on Saturday, August 26th at Loyola University Chapel in Baltimore, refreshments to follow.

The family has collected photos of Chuck over the years and can be viewed at https://photos.app.goo.gl/4Gwwu88umyuLRW516