Happy Birthday Great Grandfather

The child to the below is my father who was born on Jan. 1 1920 (93 years ago)

In Washington DC.  It looks like he is helping to put salt on the sidewalk.

Below is My dad's mother and brother, Malcolm (who preferred Mike) the year they got a pony to share. This photo seems to show how well they shared or got along for that matter.

My Dad's name

was Donald Dean Van Kirk.  His mother's brother named  Donald was killed in WWI in France. His 

father had a brother named Dean who was killed in WWI in Pensacola, Florida. So my dad, although

he was their first child, was named after 2 of his uncles.  

Both uncles are buried in Arlington Cemetery

My mother, Mary Caroline, and Donald Dean were married

just 3 months after they met and started dating.

I asked my dad how he met my mother and he said he

hired her to be a secretary for his commanding officer 

in the Army.  His boss was pleased but so was my dad.

My Dad worked as an accountant in the local Bank of America

when my brother Donald Dean Van Kirk Jr. was born

My father was Dutch, an accountant and a farmer.

At Christmas time, he insisted on getting our family Christmas tree on Christmas Eve.

We had a farm but we didn't have a truck.  When we went after our Christmas tree

we had to reach out the window of the car and hold on to the tree which was 

on the roof of the car.  None of our trees were very pretty--needles immediately

fell off and such.  When I was about 10 or 11, we got home and looked at the tree

It had no needles left on it at all.  My dad quickly solved the problem by asking my mother 

to open her Christmas present from him which was a paint sprayer which he explained really 

was a good gift because she had asked him to paint the living room a new color.

He went outside got a large tumble weed out of the yard, painted it white and 

brought it  in for us to hang ornaments on. The picture is that special "tree".