My childhood is nothing much talk about. I was born in Columbus, Ohio, 25 April 1922, either in the University Hospital of Ohio State University, or in my parents home depending on which story you wish to believe. My mother said the Hospital, my father said in the house delivered by a Doctor.

Don�t remember too much about my early years, only occasions that implanted themselves in my memory banks.

Such as, leaving Columbus, for North Canton, Ohio, where my father was employed by the Hoover Vacuum Cleaner Corp. Then leaving North Canton, Ohio, for Chicago, Illinois, where we changed our name to Dunham. My father took the name of Donald (after his youngest brother), Ralph (after his sister Zola�s husband, Ralph Bell) and Dunham. Have no idea where the Dunham came from, but, am sure my father had a reason, like knowing a friend by that name or picking one out of the phone book-------who knows. The Canton move was in the year 1928. The reason I remember that date, is because that was the year that Al Smith (democrat) ran against Herbert Hoover (republican) for president and at school we little kids were taught the ditty :�Hoover, Hoover, is the man, throw Al Smith in the garbage can�.

As for the move to Chicago, it would appear that my father got into some kind of trouble at Hoover, and had to get out of town and change his name. Remember, this was long before Social Security, police communications, finger printing and all the trappings that law enforcement has today.

Then apparently my father got into trouble again, in his job in Chicago, and we had to evacuate that area just ahead of the police in 1932, and traveled across country to Hollywood, California, in my father�s pride and joy, a new Hudson, four door sedan (which he unlawfully sold in California to have something to live on). When I say unlawfully, it is because he didn�t fully own the car.

Then in 1933 we moved back to Columbus, where my father got a job in the WPA, a federal �make work� program that the new President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, had pushed through congress to get people doing something besides hitting the welfare rolls, which we did, for awhile. We also lived for short periods with my Great Grandmother, my aunt Zola and uncle Ralph and some other relatives that I can�t remember.

Then in 1934 my father got my mother a 1930 Essex coupe, and sent her and me to California. This time however, we had Margaret Mitchell, the girl friend of my mother�s uncle (Louis Freeman), with us as he was also sending her to California.

Upon arrival in California, we settled for a time in Hollywood, living in a court on Melrose Avenue. My mother started feeling bad, and Margaret did some waitressing to pay the rent and have something on the table to eat. My Dad visited us for a week end and informed us that he was now living in Las Vegas. At the time we didn�t know that he was living with Margaret and her Sister and preparing to get a quickie divorce in Juarez, Mexico.

It turned out that my mother had to have a hysterectomy, but they couldn�t perform one without the permission of her husband. So, a friend of Margaret�s drove me over to Vegas to get my Dad to sign the necessary papers. Of course we had to hunt for him, and although I don�t remember how we found him, find him we did and he signed the papers that the Doctor and Hospital required. After the operation, while recuperating, my mother got notice of the Mexican divorce.

Jobs were scarce and Margaret�s job faded away. But, she did get a job as a waitress in Encinitas, and my mother got a job as a housekeeper in Rancho Santa Fe. Then, Margaret got a much better job as a waitress in Oceanside and she moved to there. About the same time, Margaret�s daughter, Doris (actually Theodora) showed up and moved in with her mother. My mother started going with a man named Charles Osbeck, and I was sent to Oceanside to live for awhile with Margaret and Doris. This was in 1935. I attended the 8th grade at Oceanside Elementary, and graduated June 1936.

That same year, I moved back to Encinitas to live with my mother and Charles Osbeck.

I then started to attend San Dieguito Union Junior and Senior High School.

Then the start of my good fortune began in 1937 when I met Harold Jessee, Paulyne Jessee Mayes and Fred Mayes.

They were the start of my �adopted� family. By adopted, I mean they adopted me and I adopted them.

And then in 1938 a new girl entered San Dieguito by the name of Lynnie Rexene Jessee (she dropped the Lynnie for some reason). Then throughout the next two school years, (junior and senior) I dated this new girl Rexene on and off. But, being the egotistical big man on campus, her memories are of all the lousy things I did to her, and not the good times we had. During this period I also met more of the Jessee, McDannald, tribes and began to fit into my new family.

Following graduation, I went to work at the then, Consolidated Aircraft Corporation, who was then building, PBY-5�s for the Navy and B-24�s for the Army Air Corps. It was during this time that I began realizing what I really wanted was to see if I couldn�t talk my way back into the good graces of Rexene Jessee. So, I started driving up to Santa Ana, to date what I now realized was the love of my life.

Slowly but surely, my love started coming around, and her mother started to like me. I met more and more of Rex�s relatives and loved every minute of it. To me, it was having a family like I wished I had had.

Then December 28, 1940, I asked my love if she would marry me, and SHE SAID YES!!!!!

Then, February 24, 1941, having gotten fired from my job at Consolidated (they didn�t approve of all the days that I just simply didn�t show up for work) I up and joined the Army.

My love and I had many, many wonderful times together. But, the big time was a trip that we took to Bakersfield to visit my mother and her husband Charles Osbeck . Mom asked me why the visit, and we said we were thinking of going to Las Vegas to get married. We were sort of kidding around about it, but Mom surprised us with, �Well, what are we waiting for? Lets go right now!� We drove all night to Las Vegas and were married the next day----September 28, 1941! It was a good thing my mother went, as the legal age to get married without parental consent for girls was 18. But, for men, it was 21! So Mom had to sign a permission statement for me.

I was now part of a most loving, caring, wonderful family. Paulyne was the sister I had always dreamed of, Warren, Harold and Keith, were like brothers, I had a father-in-law that was tops, I had cousins, aunts and uncles that accepted me into their families. There just aren�t enough words to express the feelings that permeated me throughout, I HAD A FAMILY!

Now, 62 years plus, with the Love of My Life, all our kids, grand kids and great grand kids, I can say without hesitation that I have had a most wonderful, charmed life. No man could ask for more, as there isn�t anything more a man could have than what I have had since December 28, 1940 (our asking anniversary) and September 28, 1941 (our wedding anniversary). And yes, we celebrate both. Probably more so, the asking anniversary, because if my Love hadn�t said: �yes� there wouldn�t be a wedding anniversary, now would there?