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PATRICIA CURTIS
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More About Ches Gottfredson
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Patricia Curtis Legends of the Plastic Chairs Dr. Montchesney Riddle Gottfredson, the white-haired old
man featured in "Legends of the Plastic Chairs"...
Montchesney
Riddle Gottfredson (1931-1998)
was born in Ely, Nevada during the early years of the Great Depression. Ely, located at the southern end of the Steptoe Valley
near the foothills of the Egan Range, was a young Nevada town, established in the 1870's as a stagecoach station and post
office. Only after it was designated the White Pine County seat in 1887 did the population climb to 200. Most of the activity
in the region surrounded mining camps of Ward, Cherry Creek, Osceola and Taylor.
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GROWING UP IN ELY
During
his teen years, Ches gained local recognition for his talents in music and sports: “I was famous in the area as
the greatest trumpet player to have come along so far, from 6th grade through high school -- always occupying 1st chair. In
sports, I was, except for Jayvee Walker, who only competed occasionally, the best sandlot player in football, baseball and
basketball in the area, including the towns of Ely, McGill and Ruth. As a high school senior I was selected as the all-state
baseball catcher in the state of Nevada. In fast-pitch softball for 10 years during the summers in Ely while working my way
through college at service stations, I was always selected the all-tournament catcher.”
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EDUCATION
Ches graduated from Brigham Young University in 1955 with a baccalaureate
degree with History as his major, and Economics, Music, and German as his minors. He ranked second in a class of thirty
History majors. After graduation, while working at a gas station in his hometown of Ely, Nevada, he received a telephone call
from the Religion Department at BYU informing him of a new graduate program wherein he could earn a M.A. Degree in Philosophy.
The philosophy courses would be taught by C. Riddle, a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Columbia University, and Truman Madsen, a
Ph.D in Philosophy from Harvard. Only Ches and one other student would be awarded the M.A. degree before the program
was dropped indefinitely from the BYU curriculum.
Later, a
new Ph.D. program was instituted at BYU in The History and Philosophy of Religion Department in a joint program between BYU
and USC in Los Angeles. Ches became the first and only candidate to receive this degree in philosophy and theology.
After finishing the coursework at BYU, he then enrolled in philosophy and theology at USC where he received a M.A. in Philosophy.
During his M.A. Program at BYU he did research and received instruction in all of the well-known philosophers from Socrates-Plato
to Alfred North Whitehead, John Dewey, William James, etc. At USC, Martin Heidegger, Gabriel Marcel and Friedrich Nietzsche
were added to the list. His final doctoral was earned jointly between USC and BYU in a grueling process that included oral
and written exams in Greek, Hebrew and German. It took him nine years to finally finish this degree in 1967.
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TEACHING CAREER
While completing his education, Ches was invited to teach philosophy classes at the LDS Institute at Idaho State
University in Pocatello, Idaho. The University had developed a curriculum joining philosophy and religion to be taught through
the Religious Affiliates of the University but had no professors in the religious affiliates who had the credentials in both
philosophy and religion to teach the courses. The courses were Modern Christian Philosophy, Christian Ethics and Contemporary
Christian Thought. Ches would be the only person on campus certified to teach those courses, which he did for 10 years.
At ISU, Ches also
taught courses in American Studies in the American Studies Department at the university. A significant number of his students
were Native Americans -- some from the nearby Fort Hall Reservation but most were Sioux Indians from the Dakotas. Here Ches
developed a keen interest in Native American education -- so much so that following his tenure at ISU, he moved to the Navajo
Reservation at Montezuma Creek, Utah, and became a counselor to Navajos who were interested in pursuing education. While
on the reservation, he enrolled at the University of Utah and earned an additional M.A. degree from the Counseling Department. Ches
credited the courses he completed at the U of U as being his best educational resource for honing the counseling skills he
would use to teach the principles of Prophecy and Philosophy for the rest of his life.
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| Ches (sitting, front) with friends at Hermosa Beach in 1978. Tim Curtis is standing to the far left. |
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| Ches and Ethel, newlyweds. |
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| Ches and Ethel, circa 1985. |
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| Ches' old wooden house with that wonderful basement. |
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| Dr. Montchesney Riddle Gottfredson |
The Earth was graced by Ches Gottfredson from April 22, 1931 until June 19, 1998. "Thanc"-fully,
we may continue to know him through his many writings and through his spirit of Love, Hope and Joy...which lingers still.
Learn more about Prophecy & Philosophy
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