Privacy Advocate, Defender of Liberty Charles M. Hammill (8/14/1949 - 12/19/2006)

Charles Michael Hammill was born in Los Angeles, California to Charles and Sophie Hammill, August 14, 1949.

A precocious child, he excelled in mathematics and was honored for his high academic achievement in all areas. He especially loved science, and performed far above his peers. He graduated from Westchester High School in 1967, and later served in the U.S. Air Force Reserves.

Charles attended USC and The University of London. After completing two advanced degrees from USC – an MS in Mathematics and an MS in Computer Science-- Charles began a career in the aerospace industry. He used his math and computer expertise while contributing to computer systems projects for Hughes Aircraft Company. In addition, Charles studied real estate, and became a successful investor and landowner.

The Second Amendment, the operation of the Free Market (with individuals making free-willed, rational choices) and the ideas of Adam Smith (and The Invisible Hand) held special appeal for Charles.

Charles loved traveling to Europe and his first time on the Continent began at nine-years of age. He traveled there numerous times, and always made a special point to visit his favorite city – Amsterdam.

Family was an important part of Charles’s life. He maintained very close ties with his father all of his life, and with his mother until her death in January, 2000. He never missed family gatherings with his aunts, uncles and cousins.

Charles had many special interests. He was an avid reader, especially on topics of science fiction, philosophy, and human liberty, with its costs and benefits. He attended many science fiction conventions all over the world. A young devotee of Ayn Rand and Objectivism, he often wrote on how there can be no social change in the world, until the minds of free-willed individuals change. His sense of humor was dynamic and not for the timid. He collected and built electronic gadgets.

As Socrates, Copernicus and Galileo before him, he had the troubling tendency to tell the truth. He was loved by his family, admired by his friends and respected by legions of web-based privacy advocates.

Many of his ideas are in print or published on the web (e.g. From Crossbows to Cryptography: Thwarting the State via Technology 1987) .

As a child, he was fascinated by magic, and continued this special talent and passion as a life member of The Magic Castle Society in Hollywood.

He was a gun collector, essayist, blogger, and maintained strong political ties with the Libertarian Party. He had small acting roles in independent Science Fiction films including The Low-Budget Time Machine (2003).

A luncheon at the Magic Castle with Chuck as host

Robert Anton Wilson and Role Playing "Encounters"

Click here for info about some of Chuck Hammill's friends and acquaintances

Click here to see Chuck Hammill's early days in Los Angeles


Click here to see the Celebration of Chuck Hammill's Life at the Inglewood Cemetery(12/26/2006)



More photos and news to come....