School Days

These two pages show pictures of Douglas throughout his high school years at good old Ogden High. As we know, he was somewhat of a rebel and it shows in the way he cocked his hat when he donned his marching band uniform ! AND, only he could have gotten away with that !! My eyes were only on him as that band went marching down the football field at half-time !! I heard only the drums that he played !! Ask me after the game what the score was -- all I knew was rat-a-tat-tat !! He was handsome, all the girls liked him and he knew it, BUT, he liked me best !! Douglas played basketball a couple of years and was a member of FFA, Future Farmers of America, an organization through the school system for young men that planned to farm after high school. AND, we know that didn't happen. A whole 'nother story for another page !

Happy Birthday

Today would have been Douglas 68th birthday. Douglas was the "middle child" with a sister, Joan, 5 years older, and brother, Tim, 6 years younger. I did not meet Douglas until our first year of high school, so really don't have childhood stories to tell. These pictures would date in the mid to late '40's - in the family portrait, Douglas is wearing a western style shirt, which you would never have caught him in as an adult ! The family had a riding horse, so maybe he fancied being a cowboy when he grew up. In all of these pictures, he appears to be a "happy child" - he was somewhat of a prankster as an adult and always had a good laugh if he could pull something over on me. The color portraits were taken in August,1983, Paul and Ruth's 50th wedding anniversary. My favorite on these pages is Doug and Joan playing in a wash tub - the "kiddie pool" in the summers of the 40's.

Ancestors

The first page of the book is decicated to Douglas' heritage -- Douglas at about 1 year of age, and Paul and Ruth , his parents wedding picture appear at the bottom of the page. Clarence and Minnie Rose, maternal grand-parents, Burt and Lottie Johnson, paternal grandparents at their 50th wedding anniversary party at the top. Center left, Minnie, with her grown children, Ruth, Earl, Ada and Paul. Center right, Burt and Lottie with their grown children, Paul and Evelyn. As I looked through this book today, I thought of many things I could have done differently throughout the pages, but, it is what it is, and it always conjures up more memories each time I leaf through it. Never a day goes by that I do not think of Douglas.

IN MEMORY

This handmade pictorial journal, "Book of Douglas" was created by me to celebrate the life of my husband, the father of my daughter, the grandfather of my grand-daughter. It took over a year to complete the journey through many photos, letters and memorabilia, recalling forgotten memories of over 4o years together. I laughed, I cried, I remembered good and bad times (and the in-between times ) on this journey. It is his history, his story. It is about his life, about our life together. It is how I knew him.