He was born in south Louisiana as one of six children to Judge Lewis and Helen Dansby Lovelace. His father, a minister, also worked in a dry cleaners. His mother was a housewife. The family moved to Shreveport's Allendale neighborhood when he was a young child. After graduating from high school Charles joined the U.S. Coast Guard on October 8, 1947 and served aboard a buoy snatcher and a cost guard cutter out of Boston. He left the service after ten months, returned to Shreveport, and opened a dry cleaners with his brothers. He joined the U.S. Army Reserves, where he became a company clerk, and then went on active duty, reporting to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, with a good friend, Cecil Coleman. After 18 weeks of training Charles entered airborne training, making five jumps to earn his "wings"--the breast pin with parachute and wings. Charles then joined combat engineers at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Sent to Korea he was in an artillery unit as a specialist four in charge of a 155-millimeter gun. During free hours he painted, developing his artistic skills. After his 14-month tour of duty in Korea, Charles was discharged in 1959. He enrolled at Grambling State University on the GI Bill, graduating in 1964 with a degree in art and social studies. (He later earned his masters degree from Louisiana Tech in 1975). Charles began teaching art at Union High School. Two years later he was transferred to Woodlawn High School during what he calls "the crossover" or integration. He taught at Woodlawn for seven years. Charles married Nancy Diggs in 1967. They had two children and five grandchildren. In 1981 he married Katherine Pierson. He retired in 1990 from Midway Middle School. He paints and displays his works in art exhibits.