Why this Memorial Page?
I am sure that most finding this page are wondering, why? Why go to this trouble?
To answer that you have to understand a couple of things about me. First, I have a deep love of history. About half of the books I read each year are about US history in one form or another. That love of history bleeds in to the area of nostalgia, local history, and if you have been around this website at all, personal history.
A cousin to point number one is that I'm an amateur genealogist. While that of course means I research family history, it also means I spend more than a little time in cemeteries. It always disturbs me when I find that somebody has no memorial. Be it that their grave is unmarked, or they were cremated, or time has taken what marker the people who cared for this person had placed.
About five years ago, I discovered a website called Findagrave.com. This site is dedicated to making it easy to virtually visit a deceased friend or family. One thing that really appealed to me was that this site was not limited to pictures of headstones. If, like a couple of my classmates below, no memorial exists, you could create one. I believe everyone deserves a memorial. A place where friends and family can pay their respects. In the internet age, that is now child's play to do.
Second, the deeper I get into life the more a couple of points become clear. Life is fleeting. That is a cliche, until you or someone close to you has a brush, or worse, with death. Then the point becomes as plain as a white wall. The other point, the people I went to high school with effected, molded, scarred, and helped to shape the person I am. Yes, family had a big part, but how many hours did we spend with our classmates in the years 6-18? I'm not saying I liked or could even stand all of the people I went to school with. No offense intended. I'm sure I was on the bottom of a few lists, but the fact remains that these people were all important to me, regardless if they knew, cared, wanted to be, or even if I wanted them to be.
Finally, while I am a member of the Facebook page "Fallen Bulldogs", the format there lacks a couple of things. One, you have to filter through a lot of information to find out about the people you went to school with. Second, often pieces of information are missing. The first question that I always ask when I hear someone passed away is "What happened?" It would be nice to have all the pertinent information in one spot.
So. that is why I did it. What you have here is my attempt to tie all of this together. I'll do my best to keep it accurate, and at the same time hope that the additions come at a ripe old age.
If you have any questions, concerns, or information to add, use the form below.
Lastly, with respect to Findagrave.com. I am the "owner" of the memorial for most of the classmates that appear on my memorial page. That means that I created them and have the sole authority to make changes. But, what it doesn't mean is that I should be the owner. If you are a family member and want to be the owner of the memorial, contact me and I will assist you in making that happen.
To answer that you have to understand a couple of things about me. First, I have a deep love of history. About half of the books I read each year are about US history in one form or another. That love of history bleeds in to the area of nostalgia, local history, and if you have been around this website at all, personal history.
A cousin to point number one is that I'm an amateur genealogist. While that of course means I research family history, it also means I spend more than a little time in cemeteries. It always disturbs me when I find that somebody has no memorial. Be it that their grave is unmarked, or they were cremated, or time has taken what marker the people who cared for this person had placed.
About five years ago, I discovered a website called Findagrave.com. This site is dedicated to making it easy to virtually visit a deceased friend or family. One thing that really appealed to me was that this site was not limited to pictures of headstones. If, like a couple of my classmates below, no memorial exists, you could create one. I believe everyone deserves a memorial. A place where friends and family can pay their respects. In the internet age, that is now child's play to do.
Second, the deeper I get into life the more a couple of points become clear. Life is fleeting. That is a cliche, until you or someone close to you has a brush, or worse, with death. Then the point becomes as plain as a white wall. The other point, the people I went to high school with effected, molded, scarred, and helped to shape the person I am. Yes, family had a big part, but how many hours did we spend with our classmates in the years 6-18? I'm not saying I liked or could even stand all of the people I went to school with. No offense intended. I'm sure I was on the bottom of a few lists, but the fact remains that these people were all important to me, regardless if they knew, cared, wanted to be, or even if I wanted them to be.
Finally, while I am a member of the Facebook page "Fallen Bulldogs", the format there lacks a couple of things. One, you have to filter through a lot of information to find out about the people you went to school with. Second, often pieces of information are missing. The first question that I always ask when I hear someone passed away is "What happened?" It would be nice to have all the pertinent information in one spot.
So. that is why I did it. What you have here is my attempt to tie all of this together. I'll do my best to keep it accurate, and at the same time hope that the additions come at a ripe old age.
If you have any questions, concerns, or information to add, use the form below.
Lastly, with respect to Findagrave.com. I am the "owner" of the memorial for most of the classmates that appear on my memorial page. That means that I created them and have the sole authority to make changes. But, what it doesn't mean is that I should be the owner. If you are a family member and want to be the owner of the memorial, contact me and I will assist you in making that happen.