It was a long and winding road that brought Chuck Bollmann, Bass II, to The National Christian Choir.  Born in Dundee, IL, a small town of five thousand not far from Chicago, Chuck had an idyllic middle American childhood.  Raised in a Christian home, there never was a time that he didn’t know the Lord.  His parents were diligent about his spiritual development and sent him to Lutheran school through grade 8.

Chuck attended Concordia College of Chicago, earning a BS in teaching, and while there met and married the love of his life, Gail.  His first teaching assignment was in a nine-room Lutheran School in Decatur, IL, and soon he became its Principal.  While there he worked to found the Lutheran School Association, becoming its full time administrative superintendent.  As if accomplishing all of this was not enough, he also was busy earning his master’s degree from Millikin University.

About that time came the Sputnik era and the National Defense Education Act, and the nation was clamoring for better science and audio-visual education.  Chuck entered the doctoral program at Michigan State University and worked as a graduate assistant, preparing college and university teachers in the AV field.  After six years he moved on to teach at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.

In 1973, while attending an AV convention, Chuck learned of an FBI search for someone to establish an AV unit at their new academy in Virginia.  He applied and got the position, and he and his family came east to Fredericksburg, VA.  He calls it a dream job, for he was able to pick his own staff and build the unit from scratch.  Besides producing all of the FBI Academy’s graphic art and photography, he designed and equipped two TV studios.  Chuck retired from that position in 1998 after 25 years.  Now that he has some spare time, Chuck relaxes by reading and doing crossword and sudoku puzzles.  He and Gail, now married 53 years, also enjoy traveling.

Chuck and Gail still reside in Fredericksburg and attend Spottswood Baptist Church.  He sings in the choir there, participates in the men’s breakfast program, and is involved in “Got Life,” a 6-8 week evangelism program.  Two of their children are married and live in the area.  In addition, they have eight grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.  Their younger son was involved in a horrible car accident some years ago at age 20, and after 8 ½ years of treatment and care, he went home to be with the Lord.

Chuck has been singing since grade school, but it was in his junior year of high school that a new music teacher lit the musical fire within him.  He loved singing in the chorus, an octet, and other small groups.  At Concordia he sang in the touring a cappella choir, and as the choir’s student manager was responsible for assembling the group at Town Hall in New York, and at Orchestra Hall in Chicago.  In addition to singing, Chuck was a church organist for 25 years and choir director for most of those years.

It was Gail who first told Chuck about The NCC.  They attended a number of concerts, but he was just too busy to commit to something else.  However, after he heard The Choir sing at the dedication of Hylton Chapel in Woodbridge, VA, he felt he could wait no longer.  He auditioned and joined The NCC in 1995.  He loves The Choir’s music because it presents strong doctrine and is so accessible to the listener.  He enjoys visiting the different churches and is blessed by the fellowship among choir members.

Some of his top NCC memories are singing at the Moody Church in Chicago and The NCC’s part in Dr. Halverson’s memorial service in the Senate Office Building in Washington.

It truly was a long and winding road,  but Chuck and The NCC are glad it led him to the Washington area.