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- Chuck Connor in his office. Photo by Danny Fulgencio.
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- Chuck’s sister Cathy, his father Charles (the man who built WRSC), Chuck (Lord of the Rink), his wife Laura, and his mother Betty.
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- Leslie Connor on the Kelly Clarkson Show
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- Leslie Connor skating
Did you catch the Kelly Clarkson Show Tuesday? During the program, Kelly sang Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” at the request of Lake Highlands High 2004 grad Leslie Connor. After the performance, she asked why Leslie loved the song.
Leslie explained that her grandfather, Charles, built White Rock Skate Center in 1972, and her dad, Chuck, used to return home on college weekends to DJ at the rink. Chuck loved Sinatra, and the rink became known for playing his music.
“I loved growing up at the roller skating rink,” Leslie told Kelly. “Fun fact – I actually could roller skate before I could walk, and it led to me skating professionally at theme parks in Orlando.”
In 2016, Chuck was diagnosed with cancer, and in 2018 the family had a celebration of life for him featuring all the concession food he shared with patrons over the years.
“We had hot dogs, nachos, cupcakes and even a disco ball for decoration. We honored him his way.”
You can reminisce about Chuck Connor here and the White Rock Skate Center here. Kelly Clarkson airs weekdays locally at 2 p.m. on NBC 5.
