HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

I would be remiss if I didn't write about my Dad (Donald Sherlock) today since he would have been celebrating his 87th birthday if he was still alive.  He died in 2001.  I have written several posts about him over the past 4 years.  So the only question is what should I tell you about him?

My Dad loved science and math.  He would always help us with our math homework.  Of course, he could always come up with the answer even if it was a different way than they taught us in the "new Math" (whatever that was!).  His studies in science at Los Angeles City College were interrupted when he was drafted into the Army to serve in the Korean Conflict from 1951 to 1952.  He eventually returned to his studies, even while having two little ones at home and earned his Associate Arts degree in June of 1955 from LA Valley College.

After working as a mail carrier for the US Postal Service (before and after his deployment), he was hired by Lockheed Aircraft in Burbank as a template maker in March of 1956.  By that time another baby was almost due!  When he was layed off of work in November of 1957, he then started working for Lockheed Missiles Systems in Van Nuys as an instructor, teaching Shop Math and Advanced Blue Print Reading.  Don then went back to work for Lockheed Aircraft in 1960 and worked there until his retirement in 1991.

In 1972 he completed training for computer graphics for drafting purposes.  In the late 1970's, he received a certificate after completing 100 hours of computer graphics operation. In May of 1975, he was featured on the cover of Machine Design Magazine.  The above photo is from that magazine.

What was amazing to me is that this all took place in an era when there were no personal computers in the home and probably not a lot in the workplace.  In fact, I remember him calling this "working on the scope" instead of calling it a computer.  When I see this photo, it reminds of me the Apollo XIII movie where they are trying to get the spaceship home, using a slide ruler.

Dad, you would be very happy to know that all 3 of my kids (your grandkids) have followed in your footsteps (either working in fields of math and/or technology).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!   Miss you and love you!

CELEBRATING VETERANS' DAY

 On this Veterans' Day, I wanted to honor my father Donald Sherlock, who served in the US Army from 1951 to 1953.  He served overseas in Korea from 1952 to 1953.  In the above photo, he was celebrating Christmas in 1952 in Korea while his wife and 4 month old baby son celebrated back in Southern California.

Donald was the youngest of 3 sons, all of whom served in the military.  His oldest brother Charles Sherlock served in the Air Force.

His older brother (the middle brother) Edmund Sherlock served in the US Navy during World War II.According to my cousin, Edmund was only 17 years old in this photo. He looks very young. 

Thank you, Dad, Uncle Chuck and Uncle Eddie for your service to our country and your devotion to your families!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

Today would have been my Dad's 86th birthday -- Donald Joseph Sherlock was born on March 2, 1929 in Chicago, Illinois.  He is the baby in this photo.  It reminds me of how I looked in my baby photos. His brother Eddie is also in the photo and I am not sure who the woman was.  My Dad and his family moved to Southern California when he was 6 months old so I am assuming this photo was taken in Southern California.

The above photo is my Dad and his date to some high school dance.  Don attended Loyola High School in Los Angeles.  After all of us kids graduated from high school, my Dad stopped attending our high school (St. Genevieve's) football games and went back to attending his high school (Loyola) football games with an old friend of his from his high school days.

My Dad and his oldest brother Chuck went on an annual fishing trip.  They did this for years after us kids were grown. Then they started inviting my oldest brother Danny.  Next thing you knew my husband was joining them on their trips.  In 1998 they rented a houseboat and fished the California Delta.  The above photo shows my Dad on the boat with his Notre Dame shirt.  My Dad was a true Notre Dame fan -- even though we lived in California, he would receive a copy of the South Bend Tribune newspaper every day during football season and spring football.  Our mailman was not a happy person carrying all those newspapers, especially the very large Sunday paper.  We left a candy bar and soda for him in our mailbox while he walked his route.  Such fun memories!

Happy Birthday, Dad!  We love you and miss you!

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY

Every Veteran's Day, I think about my Dad and his two older brothers who served in the Armed Forces.  According to family history, Charles (known as Chuck and 2nd from the right) served in the Air Force while Eddie (with the white sailor hat) served in the Navy during World War II.  My dad Donald (on the far left) served in the Korean War from 1951-53.

My Dad never spoke with us kids about his time in the military.  Interesting enough, I probably have more photos of my Dad from 1951 to 1953 than I do from the rest of his life.  Every time I look at this photo, I have to laugh because my Dad probably wanted his photo taken with this sign not because it was on the border of North Korea but because it said Notre Dame on it.  My dad was a huge Notre Dame fan!

So, to my Dad, Uncle Eddie, Uncle Chuck, several of my cousins and 2 of my nephews as well as all veterans -- thank you so much for your service, we owe you a debt of gratitude!  Happy Veteran's Day!

MILITARY MONDAY

Last night I was researching Donald Smith, who was my 7th cousin once removed. He was born in Hopkinton, Iowa in 1929.  I found his obituary in the US Cemetery and Funeral Home Collection. It said that Donald served as an Army medic during the Korean War and that he was discharged in 1953.  Donald Smith died on 19 July 2007.

My father Donald Sherlock (in the above photo) was also born in 1929 and served as an Army medic during the Korean War.  He served in Korea from November 1952 to October 1953.  My dad died in 2001.  I wonder if my Dad ever met Donald Smith in Korea.  If so, I bet he would be shocked to find out that he was related to him.  How many people even know who their 6th or 7th cousins are?  I am thinking that perhaps some genealogists do!

Since I have begun finding distant cousins, I often wonder while I am researching will I find someone I already know in my daily life (through church, school, neighbors) are distant relatives of mine.  Are there people that I pass by at the store, at football games or in restaurants that are related to me and I have just not discovered it yet?

Here's a salute to the 2 Don's -- Donald Sherlock and Donald Smith!  Happy Belated Father's Day to both of them too!

MILITARY MONDAY

The above photo shows my Dad (while serving in Korea during the Korean Conflict) standing in front of the Yokohama Fire Station.  At the time, my Dad was on R&R (rest and relaxation) in Yokohama, Japan.  Since I have not served in the military, my guess is that while serving in a conflict, you get some time off (a week perhaps) and they take you to a designated place that is removed from the conflict but not too far away as to cost a lot of money.

According to Wikipedia, Yokohama was a major transshipment base for American supplies and personnel during the Korean War.  I wonder if he also stopped here on his way to Korea or on his way home from Korea when his tour was concluded.

One observation I do have is regards to the quantity of photos I have of my Dad.  I have a lot more photos of him in the service and specifically in Korea, than I do for the rest of his life.  Now once you have children, you become the person behind the camera instead of the subject of the photo.  Perhaps, too, since he was sending these photos home, it was his form of communication with my Mom (the days before email and social media).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

Yesterday (March 2nd) would have been my Dad's 85th birthday had he still been alive.  Donald Joseph Sherlock was born on 2 March 1929 in Chicago, Illinois and died 16 May 2001 in Chatsworth.  At my genealogy class on Tuesday night, we learned that the emphasis now on genealogy is not to collect just the dates of births, deaths, etc but to collect the stories of what happened in between the birth and death.  There is a saying that what matters most is the dash between the birth year and death year.

So, with that in mind, I wanted to talk about my Dad and the things that he enjoyed doing.  My dad was an avid Notre Dame fan -- about as avid as I have ever seen.   In the days before the internet (my childhood), my Dad would subscribe to the South Bend Tribune and have it delivered to our home in Van Nuys, California.  Of course, this would require it going through the US Mail and our poor postman O'del having to walk the route during football season and spring practice with Dad's large newspapers in his bag. Of course, the Sunday paper was quite large!

My Dad was the one who planned where we would go on our summer vacation.  Typically, we would take our small trailer and go to one of the State Parks in California -- Carpinteria, Pismo and Sea Cliff were our usual destinations.  One year, though, Dad came up with the idea to go to San Felipe, a small fishing village in eastern Baja California.  I am not sure where he got the idea from but he told us all that all we needed were our swim suits.  Of course, my Mom knew better and so we packed other items of clothes in addition to our swimsuits.  Well, it was a good thing that we did -- because as our car was driving through Beaumont, California, the engine blew out and we spent the next 2 days in Beaumont while another one was installed.  It was also a good thing that my grandparents had accompanied us on that trip with their own car.  At least now we had some transportation except that all 9 of us couldn't fit into it at one time.

We did finally get to San Felipe and it was amazing -- water that was 80 some degrees and was so clear that you could see the fish swimming around and then jumping out of the water.  At low tide, the entire bay had no water and the boats were stuck in the sand and at the highest tide, the water came into the streets of the town and the little children played in it.  But Dad was right, when we were in San Felipe, we only needed our swimsuits with the 100 degree temps!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD -- We love you and we miss you!

MILITARY MONDAY

Veteran Day Tribute --

I am very proud of my Dad (Donald Sherlock) and his two brothers, Edmund and Charles "Chuck", who served in the military.  Edmund Sherlock (2nd from the left) served in the Navy during World War II.  He enlisted in 1944 when he was 18 years old.  Eldest brother Chuck (4th from the left) also served during World War II, but he served in the Air Force.

 Donald served in the Army during the Korean Conflict in 1951 to 1953.  Below is a photo of him (on the right) with his section leader Keith Daily.  This photo was taken in Korea.

Happy Veteran's Day to all of those who have served in the military (both past and present -- including my nephew Wally) and a huge debt of gratitude to all of you  for your service to our country.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

It's Throwback Thursday!  I guess that is a bit redundant with genealogy since isn't it all in the past.  The photo was taken in 1983.  My cousin Sean was getting married in November so for my aunt decided the theme for the wedding shower would be Halloween.  My Dad and his two brothers joined in the merriment and the spirit of the event.  Uncle Chuck was the headless man/woman, my Dad was a fisherman (already caught a can of sardines) and Uncle Eddie was a belly dancer.  I was sure happy that I had brought my camera with me to the party to take photos.

Wishing you all a Happy Halloween or as they say in Irish --

Oíche Shamhna Shona Duit (EE-hyeh HOW-nuh HUN-uh ditch*)

THOSE PLACES THURSDAY

This photo was taken in 1944 at Niagara Falls in New York.  Grandpa Charlie and my Dad are in the photo. I am not sure what they were doing in New York.  I'm guessing it was just a vacation.  Their home was in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles at that time. I don't know why but I love looking at vacation photos -- mine and everyone else's too!

FATHER'S DAY 2013

How can I not post a photo of my Dad on Father's Day?  This is a photo of my Dad (Donald Sherlock) and me in Palm Springs when I was a baby.  My Grandparents had friends in Palm Springs so I am assuming it was at their house. My Dad would have been 26 years old at the time.  He looks very young.

Happy Father's Day, Dad!  Thinking of you today and always!

THOSE PLACES THURSDAY

           In 1965, just before baseball season, my Dad (Donald Sherlock) took us kids to see the newly built Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. My Dad and his father and brothers were big Chicago Cub fans since they lived at least a bit of their lives in Chicago.  My Grandpa Charlie was born there and lived there for 29 years, while my Dad was born there but moved to Southern California when he was 6 months old. So being Cub fans, they couldn't (or wouldn't) cheer for the Dodgers.  [I loved the Dodgers but what did I know -- I was born in LA!].  Anyways, but the Angels was a team that they did cheer for the rest of their lives.

         It was exciting to see the brand new stadium.  Each year, my Dad would take us to watch the Angels play the Dodgers in the Freeway Series. Through the years, I would see baseball games there, a few concerts there and of course, football games played by the Southern California Suns of the World Football League.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

                      Don Sherlock and Theresa Nebgen Sherlock , circa 1949

HAPPY 95TH ANNIVERSARY

      My paternal grandparents Charles Sherlock and Theresa Nebgen were married 95 years ago today (March 23, 1918) in Crown Point, Indiana.  They both lived in Chicago, but since Charlie was only 17 at the time, they married in Indiana.  I think perhaps Indiana had a lower legal age for marriage (okay, need to research that).  As I have told the story before, they came home and their parents made them live separately with their own parents for a few years until they thought they were old enough to be married.  But with stubborn resolve, their relationship not only survived those first early years but 65 years until the death of Charlie in 1983.

      I remember celebrating their 50th anniversary in 1968.  We celebrated for the entire weekend.  On Saturday morning, there was a Mass and renewal of vows at our local church, Saint Genevieve's Catholic Church in Van Nuys, California.  Two of their sons, Donald and Edmund, were not only parishioners there but also ushers at Sunday Mass and their children attended school at St. Genevieve's Elementary School with one of the kids at the parish high school. All 3 sons were in attendance for the renewal of vows, as well as, their spouses and most of the grand kids   Three of the grandsons -- Danny, Kevin and Michael -- served as altar boys for the Mass.  A breakfast was held at Don's house following the ceremony.  On Saturday evening, the adults celebrated with a 5 course meal at a nice restaurant.  The following day there was a huge party at Edmund's house at which not only family members but lots of friends were also in attendance.

       The above photo was taken outside St. Genevieve's Church on March 23, 1968.  In addition to Charlie and Theresa, my Dad Donald is also in the photo. He is the handsome man to the far left.  Also, in the photo, is my cousin Bryan Sherlock, who died in 2009.  I thought it was rather appropriate that I post of photo of Bryan on my blog since he was the original family genealogist.  While I did start collecting data earlier than him (in 1983), he started his online research earlier than me in 2001.  He was uploading family trees and posting comments on online message boards while I hadn't even gotten that far with my research or technology skills.

        So, thanks, Bryan, for all your research!  I am carrying on the torch of family research.  Happy 95th Anniversary, Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Theresa!  I know that you are probably celebrating with your 3 sons up in heaven today!

MILITARY MONDAY

     In October of 1952, my Dad (Donald Sherlock) and three of his fellow soldiers were sent to Camp Stoneman before being sent overseas to Korea.  In this photo, Leonard King, Bernie Katz, Donald Sherlock, and Louis Pontrelli are at the Los Angeles International Airport getting ready to board a plane to the Bay area.

     Camp Stoneman was located in Pittsburg, California (northeast of both San Francisco and Oakland) and was a staging area on the west coast for troops leaving for Korea.  For more information on Camp Stoneman, check out www.militarymuseum.org.

Note: Whenever I come across in my research some place I hadn't heard before, I research it to find out more. Wikipedia, of course, is a great source but there are lots of websites, like the military museum website listed above. I love learning more about not only the history of my family but the history of places and things they were involved with. I think it will make my family history book that much more interesting.

SIBLING SATURDAY

             Today would have been my Dad's 84th birthday.  Donald Joseph Sherlock was born on 2 Mar 1929 in Chicago, Illinois.  Here he is in a photo with his two older brothers.  Donald is the cute one to the far left.  In the middle is his brother Edmund (known as Eddie) and on the right Charles (who always went by the name Chuck since his dad was also named Charles).

             They were very close siblings -- living most of their life in the same town.  They raised their families in the same town (Van Nuys, California) sending their children at times to the same elementary and high school. Only when they were much older did two of them move away -- Eddie to Vista (in San Diego County) and Chuck to Ventura (near the beach north of Los Angeles).  Donald lived in the same house in Van Nuys that he bought 6 months prior to my birth in 1955 until his death in 2001.

            Happy Birthday, Dad!  We miss you and love you!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

TOUR OF DUTY IN KOREA

         After graduating from Loyola High School, Donald Sherlock attended Los Angeles City College with the career goal of becoming a dentist.  While attending college, he also worked as a postal carrier, delivering mail to a route in Sherman Oaks.  On his route, he met his future wife Joan as she was working in one of the offices that he delivered mail to.  Don and Joan married in October of 1951 at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Van Nuys.

          Four weeks after the wedding in November 1951, Don was drafted into the US Army. He served the first year at Ford Ord (which interesting enough is the location of California State University, Monterey Bay).  In November of 1952 (2 ½ months after the birth of his eldest son) he was sent overseas to Korea.  He was stationed in Korea for a year.  He was discharged as a Corporal and received the United Nations Award and the Korean Combat Medal for his time in the service.  Don served as a medic during his time in the army.

          The above photo shows Don at Ford Ord (in Seaside, California) in 1952.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!

         My father Donald Joseph Sherlock was born to Charles Sherlock and Theresa Anna Barbara Nebgen on this date 83 years ago.  At the time Charlie was recuperating from his injuries on the Chicago police force and was wondering what lied ahead for him.  He knew he was done serving on the force and would receive a pension but where should he go with his young family and what would the future hold for him in terms of work.

          Donald was born by Cesarean section and therefore was a beautiful baby from the beginning.  Of course, he mentioned this fact, along with his winning a beauty contest with his mother, to his kids for most of their childhood.  Don’t you wish you won a beauty contest?  The photo below is the picture from the beauty contest and he was a beautiful baby. 

          Donald had two older brothers – Edmund, who was 2 ½ and Charles (Chuck) who was 7 when Donald was born.  When Donald was 6 months old, the family moved from Chicago to Redondo Beach, California.  Dad told me that they had made some sort of hammock across the backseat and that is how Baby Donald moved to California.  Hopefully, there were no sudden stops!

          When Donald was 5 years old, they moved to the Hollywood Hills and more specifically to a house on Beachwood Drive, where he would spend his childhood and adolescent years.  After attending kindergarten in Redondo Beach, Donald attended the first few years of elementary school at Cheremoya Elementary in Hollywood before transferring to Holy Sacrament Elementary School.  For high school, he attended the prestigious Loyola High School in Los Angeles.  

          Now, that I have started writing this I think this may be a 2 or 3 post story. So, I will wrap up this post by saying’ “Even though, Dad, is no longer with us, we still think about him a lot, the example he set,  and the impact that he had on our lives.”  Amazingly, his first grandchild was born on his birthday in 1977.  He was a very proud Grandpa that day. 

          Happy Birthday, DAD!   We love and miss you!!