Charles A. “Chuck” Corry

Charles A. “Chuck” Corry
1932-2021

Formerly of Longboat Key, Florida, long time resident of Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania, died at age 89 on March 18, 2021.

He was born February 14, 1932 in Wyoming, Ohio, a Cincinnati suburb and was the only child of Charles and Laurella Corry. Husband to his beloved wife of 59 years, Margaret (Stuve) formerly of Cleveland, Ohio. Also survived by three daughters, Lynne Corry-Roberts (Neil), Diane Corry Sladic (Mark), and Elizabeth Daugherty (David), and grandchildren Carys and Ava Corry-Roberts, Lauren, Ryan, and Nicholas Sladic, and Erin Elliott (Nathan) and Jill Daugherty. Charles’ greatest love was his family.

Chuck grew up in Cincinnati and graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Arts & Sciences. He received an Air Force ROTC commission and was called to active duty after his first year at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Law. He served with the 50th Fighter Bomber Wing in Germany. Following service with the Air Force, he returned to the University and graduated from the Law College, receiving a J.D. degree. He was an honor student in Law School.

Upon graduation, Charles accepted a job with the American Steel and Wire Company in Cleveland, Ohio, as a tax attorney. There followed a series of financial and tax positions in Pittsburgh and New York. In 1979, he was appointed Vice President of Corporate Planning for United States Steel. In this position, he was the architect of the acquisition of the Marathon Oil Company, which transformed the corporation into a major producer of hydrocarbon products. Later, he was named Senior Vice President and Comptroller, then President of a group of diversified divisions and subsidiaries of the renamed USX Corporation. In 1988, he was named President of USX and a year later, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of USX.

As the leader of a major corporation, Chuck was involved in many business organizations. He was a Vice Chairman of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Chairman of the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce. He served as a Vice Chairman of the American Iron & Steel Institute and as a Vice Chairman of the International Iron and Steel Institute. He was on the Board of the National Association of Manufacturers, a Co-Chairman of the Business Roundtable, and a member of the Business Council.

The Civic area also called upon Charles’ service. He was a Board member of the United Way, the Historical Society, Junior Achievement, Presbyterian Hospital, and a trustee of University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. He also was appointed to the Federal Judicial Nominating Commission. He served on the Boards of the NCR Corporation, Gencorp, Mellon Financial, and Transtar, as well as U.S. Steel and Marathon Oil.

During his tenure as CEO of USX, Charles faced many challenges, including a major proxy fight with investor Carl Icahn, who accumulated a major position in the company’s stock. The company overcame Mr. Icahn’s advantage and won the shareholder vote. It was extremely important to Chuck that the employees of the company felt they had good jobs with the corporation; that they were respected and treated fairly in all matters.

In his personal life, Chuck was a lifetime accomplished tennis player who played in local tournaments, and in 1980, won an Allegheny County doubles championship. His skills extended well beyond the tennis court, as Charles excelled at humanely trapping and relocating a significant portion of the Upper St. Clair chipmunk population that were drawn to his backyard. By his own admission, he was not much of a golfer, reluctantly starting to play late in life when he felt “he could not get out of it.” Charles relished the company of his many friends, and there is nothing he loved more than laughing with his family.

Charles relished the company of his many friends, and there is nothing he loved more than laughing with his family.

In the Pittsburgh corporate community, Chuck felt that while much was done to support the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts received very little assistance, so he determined to remedy the situation. Under his guidance, the Corporation’s Foundation approved a project to upgrade the bathroom facilities in the Girl Scout camps. Charles often later remarked that if he were remembered for nothing else, he hoped he would be known as “the guy who put flush toilets in the Girl Scout Camps.” He later chaired a Girl Scout Capital Campaign.

Charles was a longtime member of St. Clair Country Club, Laurel Valley Golf Club, Rolling Rock Country Club, the Longboat Key Club, and a past President of the Duquesne Club.

No visitation, but friends and family are invited to attend a celebration of life service, which will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, Charles and his family would greatly appreciate donations being made to the Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania, Attn: Fund Development, 503 Martindale Street, Suite 500, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 (donation form located at: https://www.gswpa.org/content/dam/girlscouts-gswpa/documents/Searchableforms/Giving/Mail-in-Giving-Form.pdf) or online at www.gswpa.org/en/giving/ToGetHerThere.html