Charles E. "Chuck" Dederich (sometimes spelled "Diederich") was the founder of Synanon.  He died in 1997 at age 83.    

Perhaps the best reference to describe Dederich's life is his obituary from the New York Times. 

Dederich and Mel Wasserman, founder of Cedu Education, were close friends. 

As always we welcome suggestions to expand this article at FamilyLightResponse@yahoo.com . 

Last updated October 11, 2008