October 21, 2019. Madison, Mississippi. Anniversaries.

Sixty six years ago, I was on a train traveling from Vancouver to Toronto with my Mother and Father. We stopped in Calgary for a few days to visit the Dumertons, fellow SA officers who were all in the same session. They had twin boys who were my age. The only thing I recall from that visit was that we played football the whole time. I was the only girl. And I liked one of the twins, Billy, Two years later, Billy was killed in an automobile accident, when traveling in a VW bug. He and his friend were driving to Toronto but he was killed just outside Calgary. It was my first tragedy. Mother, Father and I had been at the wedding of my brother Dave, to Irene Chalk. My Father officiated at the service. My sister Carol was the Maid of Honor. That was October, 1953. When we look at the pictures now, everyone looked so young and very happy. The night before the wedding, my Father took Dave out to dinner. Dave recalls they ate at an inexpensive restaurant with not good food. Dad commented to Dave that if the two newly weds get along as well as he and his wife Frances, things should work out well. Dad was correct. Sixty six years later Dave and Irene are still walking and talking and getting alone with no complaints. When they reach the 70th anniversary, they will have another party. But for this year, they celebrated by going out for a steak lunch. Pretty special event for a pretty special couple.