Charles Hillman '67

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Charles Raymond “Chuck” Hillman ’67 died peacefully on June 4 in Danville, California. He was 86.

Hillman was born on Jan. 5, 1938, in Chicago, Illinois, to Karl Algot Hillman and Märta Vilhelmina Hedin. He had two older sisters, Vivian Wilhelmina Hillman Hetland, born in 1923, and Thelma Martha Virginia Hillman, born in 1925. As a child, he lived briefly in Gävle, Sweden, before the family relocated to Los Angeles.

In 1956, Hillman joined the United States Naval Reserve and, after graduating from Los Angeles High School that year, began training at the Naval Training Center in San Diego. He was on active duty in the United States Navy from 1957 to 1960, served aboard the U.S.S. Jenkins, stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and received an Honorable Discharge. During his service, he came to understand the vulnerability of the U.S. Navy’s fleets and sailors, an experience that motivated him to become an engineer and seek a career in developing ship self-defense systems such as the RAM and Phalanx.

Hillman married his high school sweetheart, Julia Caroline Haggard, on Aug. 12, 1961. They made their first home in Riverside, California, moved to Lakewood, California, and then purchased their first house in Alta Loma, California in 1967, the year he earned his bachelor of science degree from the UCLA School of Engineering.

He was active in Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society, and received the Faculty-Friends Award for outstanding senior engineering project. A lifelong learner, he earned a master of science in engineering from California State University, Fullerton, in 1975 and a master of science in management from West Coast University in 1978.

In that year, Hillman began his career as an electronics engineer at General Dynamics in Pomona, California. He stayed with the company through its transitions, including a transfer to the Rancho Cucamonga division, a purchase by Hughes Aircraft, and a subsequent move to San Diego, prompting the family to relocate to Encinitas, California. After another merger, Hillman completed his career with Raytheon and retired in 2000.

He received numerous awards during his career, including the General Dynamics 1990 Team Eagle Award of Excellence and the National Partnership for Reinventing Government Award in 1998. The couple remained in Encinitas until 2018, when they moved to Danville, California, to be closer to their daughter.

Hillman’s beloved family includes his wife, Julie Hillman; his son, Christopher Hillman (married to Alexis Hillman) of Thousand Oaks, California; his daughter, Jennifer Helgren (married to Erik Helgren) of San Ramon, California; and his cherished grandchildren, Sofia Hillman, Maia Hillman, Thomas Helgren and Stephen Helgren.

His community involvement included serving as president and show chairman for MOTOC Dog Obedience Club and Belgian Sheepdog Club of Southern California and participation with his son in the YMCA Indian Guides. He enjoyed international travel, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, bicycle riding and deep-sea fishing.

A memorial service is planned for this summer.