Charles Cassell was born on 5 August 1924 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He was married to Elaine and Linda. He died on 17 May 2021 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
His studies at Cornell were interrupted by WWII, during which he trained with a Tuskegee Airmen unit of the Army Air Forces. After the war, he attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and received a bachelor's degree in architecture.