Dear Members of the Colgate Community,
With sadness, we share the passing of Charles “Charlie” Naef, Associate Professor of Political Science, who passed away at the age of 94, on Tuesday, February 25, 2025.
Charlie was born in 1931, in Camden, N.J. Soon after his birth, his family moved to Zürich, Switzerland. They returned to the United States when Charlie was 17, moving to Speculator, N.Y. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Bard College in 1953 and was then drafted into the U.S. Army, serving in West Germany as an interrogator and military intelligence analyst. He received the commander’s award at the 7th Army Military Intelligence School. After an honorable discharge as a Specialist 3, he served in the U.S. Army Active Reserves until 1957.
Following his military service, Charlie attended Rutgers University and earned an MA in Political Science in 1960. During his time at Rutgers, he taught an introductory Political Science course and a course on American politics to the U.S. Steel Workers Union. He also served as a New Jersey chapter officer of Americans for Democratic Action, demonstrating his lifelong commitment to democratic principles and civic engagement. He later completed his PhD in Political Science in 1978.
In 1957 he married his wife, Susan Koszeghy Naef. They moved to Hamilton in 1961 when he joined the Department of Political Science at Colgate University, where he would dedicate 35 years to educating students in Comparative Government, International Relations, and Politics until his retirement in 1996. He played a key role in developing the International Relations program in 1968 and was a driving force behind the creation of Colgate’s Peace and Conflict Studies program in the 1970s, embodying his commitment to interdisciplinary education. From 1980 until his retirement in 1996, he developed and taught a Problems of Arms Control and Disarmament course.
Before reunification, Germany’s Office for Research in Military History accepted him as a visiting scholar and commissioned a conference paper on the United States and the European Defense Community. Charlie, a Swiss-American dual citizen, spoke German, Italian, French, Serbo-Croatian, and various dialects, which aided his ability to effectively develop and lead five semester-long study groups for Colgate students to Yugoslavia, Hungary, and Geneva. In retirement, Charlie and Susan cherished maintaining close contact with former students, especially ones from these study groups.
Beyond his contributions to academia, Charlie was deeply engaged in public service and community leadership. In 1967, he became a member of the Madison County Democratic Committee, serving in various leadership roles, including town and village chair, regional vice-chair, treasurer, and chair of the publicity and website committee. His dedication to good governance was further reflected in his work on the Committee on Hamilton Village Government from 1993–94, where he authored a final report that led to significant reforms.
Elected as mayor of Hamilton in 1999, Charlie played an instrumental role in securing federal and state grants that facilitated the expansion and renovation of the Hamilton Public Library, the restoration of the Village Green, and the development of the Mid-York Business Airpark. Under his leadership, the Hamilton Initiative restored the village center to its early 19th-century charm, revitalizing the local business community.
Charlie’s dedication to civic engagement extended to numerous local organizations, including the Rotary and Hamilton Clubs. In 1988, when invited to serve as president of the Hamilton Club, he agreed on the condition that its by-laws be revised to allow women to join. He was an active member of the Hamilton Forum Steering Committee, the Hamilton Interfaith Service Group, and a devoted volunteer at the food cupboard. As a member of St. Mary Parish in Hamilton, he served as a consolation minister and contributed to social justice initiatives with Morrisville’s St. Joan Parish.
In 2015, for recognition of his political and civic contributions to Hamilton and Madison County, he received the MCDC’s annual James and Dolley Madison award for exceptional service to the community. Charlie believed in peace, justice, and full equality; he spent his life devoted to this mission.
He is survived by his wife, Susan, son Eric and his wife Elizabeth; daughter-in-law Michelle; grandchildren Jennifer Orendorf, Molly, Alexander, Isabelle, and Giselle; and great-grandchildren Henry Orendorf, Ashton, Conner, Jackson Lee, and Estelle. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, March 10, at St. Mary’s Church in Hamilton.
May Charlie’s memory be a blessing.
Lesleigh
Lesleigh Cushing
Provost and Dean of the Faculty