Dr. Charles E. Main, age 84, passed away on July 19, 2018 at his home in Raleigh, North Carolina just 6 days short of his 85th birthday; after a long illness. Dr Main was an Emeritus Professor of Plant Pathology at North Carolina State University. He officially retired in 1999 after 34 years of teaching and research in botanical epidemiology. He continued to work an additional eight years as an Emeritus Professor directing the North American Plant Disease Forecast Center. He was nationally and internationally recognized and called upon for this expertise in epidemiology of tobacco diseases, impact of disease on yield and value of various crops. He was also known for his role in disease forecasting in the prediction, prevention and management during acts of biological argo-terrorism. He became recognized for his expertise and international teaching around the world of aerobiology and biometeorology related to human allergies from pollens and other microbial agents.

Dr. Main was born on July 25, 1933 and raised on a beef cattle farm near Valley Grove, West Virginia. He was the son of the late Charley E. Whimpkey and Nora Bell Main. He was a graduate of Triadelphia High School class of 1951. He married his high school sweetheart, M. Jane Noble, on April 8, 1954. After farming, he was drafted into the army in 1953 and trained by the 101 st Airborne at Ft. Jackson, SC. Charlie served in the US Army in Germany (1954-1955) in a 2 nd Armored Cavalry unit as a demolition expert patrolling the Iron Curtain boarder. Following his military service he entered West Virginia University in August, 1955 where he received a BSC degree in Agricultural Sciences in 1959 and MSC degree in Plant Pathology in 1961. Two children, Michael and Michelle were born while in Morgantown, WV. In 1961 he and his family matriculated to the University of Wisconsin where he was awarded his Doctorate in Plant Pathology and Disease Physiology in 1964. He accepted and completed a Post Doctorate Research Fellowship in 1965.

In 1965 he accepted the position of Research Pathologist with the US Department of Agriculture at Oxford, NC. This appointment included the joint Assistant Professorship with North Carolina State University. In 1967 he resigned from the USDA and assumed an active full faculty position as assistant professor at NC State rising through the academic ranks to full professor in 1975.

During his tenure at NC State Charlie taught many pathology courses, but developed and specialized in graduate level courses in botanical epidemiology. In later years he also focused on studies in aerobiology and bio-meteorological aspects of short and long range spore dispersal. His disease forecasting web-site was based upon the geographical occurrence and spread of plant disease over space and time. In 1996, as a director, these studies resulted in the formation of the North American Plant Disease Forecast Center. This provided for the first time a truly continental internet forecasting and decision support system for the tobacco blue mold, cucurbit downy mildew, peanut leaf disease and the soybean rust disease. Farmers and the agricultural industry still support and utilize this unique University disease management tools daily thereby reducing fungicide usage and lessening the impact of pesticides on our agricultural ecosystem. His research interest resulted in his travel to, and work in, all the US States and at least 38 countries around the world.

Charlie enjoyed the outdoors, sports, and woodworking. Nothing pleased him more than teaching his grandsons and friends the art of fly fishing on the trout streams of the North Carolina Mountains. He was always available to the family and neighborhood friends for repairing furniture and home improvement projects in his woodworking shop. He and Jane were very active in the Triangle Woodworkers Association for several years. He liked to cook. He took cooking classes and frequently prepared new and unique dishes. He spent several years researching and compiling the genealogy of his surname Main. This study resulted in the publication of his memoirs and family genealogy in 2018.

Dr. Main is survived by his beloved wife Jane of 64 years, a son Michael A. Main of Deltona, FL, and a daughter Michelle Ann Parker, son-in-law M. Reid Parker of Raleigh, NC. He had three grandchildren, Tiffany and Brandon Westbrook, Christopher and Candace Parker of Knightdale, NC and Bryan Parker (Jessica) of Knightdale currently of the US Navy. There are four great grandchildren, Parker Westbrook, Alivia Westbrook, Shelby Parker and Jackson Thompson Parker. His family was his greatest pride and accomplishment. He had two older sisters, Marjorie Hess in California (deceased) and Betty Price of Nashville, TN (deceased). He had one niece, Charla Hess Andrade of California born on his birthdate, and several nephews and cousins. Dr. Main belonged to the St. Marks United Methodist Church in Raleigh. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the American Phytopathological Society  and both Pan-American Aerobiology and the International Aerobiology Societies. Of special note and interest was his lifelong interest and participation in his beloved Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity. He served as the AGR Faculty Adviser at Nu Chapter (1968-2017) at NSCU mentoring hundred of agricultural undergraduate men. He was involved in the planning and building of a new fraternity house in 2002. In 2003 he was honored by his National Fraternity as a member of one hundred men selected as AGR Brothers of the Century. He received a AGR Lifetime Achievement Award from Nu Chapter in 2016. He loved his fraternity and worked closely with all of the young brothers.

Charlie enjoyed life to its fullest, and was most happy when helping of assisting others. He deeply believed in God, family , country and friends. He went through serious heart surgery (LVAD) in 2013. He recovered and considered himself to be the luckiest man in the world. He was proud of his farm background, wife and family, education, occupation and world travel. Whenever asked how he was getting along he always replied "doing better all the time". He finally succumbed to a bacterial infection associated with his left ventricular assistance device (LVAD).

The family will receive friends and family Monday evening 5:30 - 8:00 at Montlawn Funeral Home, 2911 S. Wilmington Street, Raleigh. Funeral services will be held at Montlawn Funeral Home, Tuesday, July 24th at 11:00 AM.  Charlie, and later his beloved Jane, will be interred in the Veterans Section of Montlawn Memorial Park, Raleigh. The Reverend Ricky Mill, a dear and trusted friend, has offered to preside over the graveside military proceedings. Charlie also invited Pastor Ben Williams of St. Marks Methodist Church to participate.