Most of his writing centers around the time he spent in Alaska in an abandoned World War II facility with his partner, Mike Rasmussen.
Although born in Tacoma, he grew up in Tucson, Arizona due to the constant movement of his Air Force family.
They lived for two years in an abandoned World War II Quonset hut which was four miles away from Morris Cove.
In 1986, Chadwick spent his winters at the University of Alaska Fairbanks working towards a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.
He was remembered as an astute and creative administrator as he managed to expand the university's off-campus offerings in the rural area he served.
[2] In addition to his university work, he helped establish Museum of the Aleutians and assisted in a culture camp named 'Camp Qungaayux'.