Dorwin Douglass

Fifty years, you have to be kidding?

In 2006 before the housing crash we sold our San Jose house and plumbing business and we got the hell out of Kalifornia. We moved back to the real USA, Loudon County, East Tennessee and love it. (Several CA expats are here) Low costs, low taxes, and best of all friendly people. I invite all to Google "Tellico Village" and see what it is all about. Water, sailing, boating, golf, fishing, hunting, shooting, etc., etc.

Terrible student in courses I had no interest in. Loved history, shops, the golf team, (Coach Bartholomew) and photography. Built a sail boat in woodshop that I used at the yacht harbor.

It seems that I was always in the right place at the right time to have a lot of great experiences. Sea Scouts in Palo Alto, USCG Honor Guard DC, Honor Guard, General McArthur funeral, USCG Photographer 3rd District NYC, Deputy Sheriff Maricopa Co AZ, photofinishing plant manager AZ and CA, married my partner for life, Donna, and our children, and grandchildren, White House lunch, plus many WH visits, the Presidents box at the Kennedy Center, etc., etc., thanks to Brian our son in law, and the cool things continue here in East Tennessee.

You name it you can do it here in Tennessee and the surrounding states. We live on the golf course, travel a bit in our fifth wheel and enjoy the country. We power boat and sail here on Tellico Lake. I am also a Board member of TBART a boaters assistance response team that works with first responders on the lake, Sheriff and Fire.

When we moved here I discovered that we were in the cradle of the Cherokee Nation. Since my Grandmother was 1/4 Cherokee we got on the web and found out that the most famous Cherokee woman, Nancy Ward who's grave and monument is in Benton TN, 15 miles away is my fifth Great Grandmother. Tellico Lake, where we boat covers the largest Cherokee town of Toqua. Chief Sequoyah who gave the Cherokee a written language is honored with a large museum here owned by the Eastern Band of the Cherokee. This is also where the trail of tears started. The Cherokee have no love for President Andrew Jackson who forced the Cherokee to leave their land. Were back............

My primary hobby is collecting U.S. firearms and U.S. Militeria, Spanish American War to Korea, and shooting U.S. collectable firearms at my gun club in Oak Ridge. I also participate in the areas gun shows.

Oh my, look at that graduation picture, I remember the pink tie. Well I found the yearbook and it says, "Plans to make Coast Guard a career, close, four years, favorate subject photography, hobbies, sailing, cars, navigation, known for interest in sailing." Not a bad forecast fifty years ago.

Maybe