Chuck Hardee (12, next to coach) during his glory days as a Wolf running back, complete with a luscious mane of ’70s hair.
There’s little question where Chuck Hardee’s politics fall these days.
Anyone who reads his many Facebooks posts in support of Republican causes can tell you the man is deeply committed to conservatism. Yet, unlike a lot of die-hards on either side, the man has a consistent sense of humor and often uses clever jibes to puncture windbags of all persuasions.
And those rumors that he would only go to the right while operating as a star running back for Coupeville High School in the early ’70s? Just rumors.
Whether you remember Hardee as a wiry, quicksilver triple threat during his days as a Wolf (basketball, football, tennis) or you know him as the successful business owner he is today (he and wife Connie own three retail stores in Spokane), his is a story of a small town boy made good.
A story of a man changed by the times, from a self-described “immature party boy most likely to be voted to go nowhere” to a responsible man who found a sense of purpose in a career in law enforcement. A man no longer on Whidbey who remains forever bound to the town he called home from fifth grade to graduation.
“My enduring memories are from the great students and friends from my time in Coupeville,” Hardee said. “Coupeville was a really special place to grow up in and all those that are there today should know, we are in an elite group of people that have had a chance to taste paradise.
“Most of the kids there today don’t know this yet, but they will always miss their time there after they are gone,” he added. “I miss it terribly and still go back anytime I am near.”
Originally from California, Hardee and his family settled in Coupeville in 1966 and he immediately found a connection with his new classmates through sports. That connection never wavered as he and his friends grew up.
“What I remember most was the team camaraderie; it was very special,” Hardee said. “I think we were so successful because most of us on the team had been in school and playing sports together since we were in the 5th grade.
“Sports is a funny thing. It really is the only thing that kept me in school at all,” he added. “I still remember vividly every touchdown I ever scored or basketball games where I had a high point total. Those memories are burned into my psyche. The trips to other schools, the team bus rides, the rooter buses, the cheerleaders … it was all very cool!”
Playing at a time when there were far fewer things to vie for your attention, Hardee and his teammates played ball year-round.
“It’s about total dedication. In our day, we didn’t play video games, or hang out in a house,” Hardee said. “We literally would play ball all the time — basketball, baseball, football. So our skills were honed.”
As a senior, Hardee starred on one of the best teams in CHS history, a squad that went 6-1 in the regular season (outscoring opponents 123-64) and advanced to the state playoffs, a feat not accomplished by a Wolf team since the late 1930s.
“We were awesome,” Hardee said. “Good teams are few and far between in Coupeville football, but it can be done!”
After the heady days of high school ball, Hardee hit a rough spell before things finally clicked for him.
“I was kind of a lost soul for a few years out of high school. Didn’t know what I wanted to do or how to get there,” he said. “But then one day, snap, it all changed for me. I woke up out of a meaningless slumber, and became ultra-responsible. It’s funny where life leads you sometime.”
He finished his bachelors degree in Public Administration, held management jobs and then segued into a 20-year career in law enforcement before moving into his current life as a retail store magnate.
It was during those years that much of his current political beliefs and outlook on life were shaped, refined and strengthened.
“I think most young people when they start out in life are liberal without ever thinking about it. When I left Coupeville in ’75, liberalism was really all around. Peace, love and rock and roll,” Hardee said. “As I was further educated and a working adult in law enforcement, the real world comes into much clearer focus than the idealistic ideas of when you are young.
“I have certainly been very active politically in the last few years. I believe it is the most important thing that is happening in our world today,” he added. “We have lost our way and our moral compass is spinning out of control.”
He has come to appreciate this quote from Winston Churchill — “If you are not a liberal when you are young, you have no heart, but if you are not a conservative when you get older, you have no brain.”
“For me, it was obvious, that a liberal stance on social, economic, and foreign policy is completely unsustainable and just the wrong way to go,” Hardee said. “Conservatism is much smarter, healthier.”
And while he is aware that some from his past may not agree with his views, he remains open to debate. He knows that people can change, something he has seen firsthand in his own life.
“It’s funny, when I look back at who I was in high school — immature, a party boy, I’m sure I would have been voted most likely to get nowhere,” Hardee said. “However, I would bet today, many would be very surprised at where I ended up.”
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