Individual Details

(Submitted by Paddy McCullough) I remember those early Christmases i n my life. Probably the first remembrance was when Donald Ray and Si s would take me out of the house on Christmas Eve and walk the neighbo rhood looking for signs that Santa was near. Hand in hand walking betw een my big Sister and big brother they would call out that there he wa s over there on that roof and as I turned to get a glimpse I was alway s a split second late. After that we would hurry home to find out tha t he had already been to our home and left our gifts. I never got t o know Donald Ray very well since he was 10 years my senior. Mother an d Papa were very proud of him. In the late 30's Mother promised Donal d Ray that if he won 1st at state contest in solo competition for th e cornet horn she would buy him a new horn. He won 1st and Mother save d money from her teaching a bought a king cornet. That was the horn th at Mother and Papa had reconditioned for me when I stated taking hor n and it was the same horn that Sylvia and I had reconditioned for ou r son don when he stated playing in the band in the mid 1970's. Donal d Ray graduated from high school after completing 10 years. At the ag e of 16 he got a job on a survey crew and had an old model t ford tha t he used to get back and forth to work. Donald Ray would lift me int o the steering wheel with my legs sticking through. He would work th e pedals and gearshift as I steered. We had turning a corner done t o a science as I remained in the steering wheel and started to rock on e way then the other until I had enough velocity to make it over cente r to make the corner. I sure that Donald Rays helped my back and fort h motion or we never would have made the corner. Donald Ray decided h e wanted to go to further his education and started by enrolling at Sc hriener Institute in Kerrville, Texas. This was about 1942 and not to o long after he enrolled the dormitory burned to the ground and all th at he saved was the cornet that Mother had given him. Not too long af ter that and before he was of adult age Donald Ray enlisted in the arm y. Donald Ray went off to the military during the height of the Unite d States involvement in World War II. I only saw Donald Ray two mor e times, once before he shipped out to Europe and the last when he ret urned home after the conclusion of the war on his way to Seattle, Was hington and then on his way to serve as occupational forces in the Pac ific About the time Donald Ray joined the service; Mother and Papa ha d bought us a cocker spaniel which we named Mike. By the way, durin g my early years I was called Pat by my family. So now you had that g reat duo of Pat and Mike. Just before Donald Ray returned home afte r the war, Mike had joined up with a pack of stray dogs and I though t he was gone forever. When I told Donald Ray that Mike had run awa y Donald Ray told me to say a prayer and ask God to bring Mike back. A t the Saturday noon meal I said a prayer asking that Mike come home an d before we had finished the meal we heard a scratching at the front d oor where we found the worst excuse for a cocker spaniel, God had answ ered my prayer. This was the last time we were with Donald Ray. Dona ld Ray was scheduled to go to Korea but an illness delayed that moveme nt and he was shipped to the Luzon's. Donald Ray was kill by guerrill a warfare on July 27,1947 at the age of 21. Donald Ray's death was ex ceptionally hard and difficult for the four of us that remained but mo st certainly it greatly affected Mother and Sis. Sis held her emotion s inside for such a long time. With Donald Ray's birthday being on Chr istmas day those Christmases that followed where always a time of grie f for Mother. Donald Ray had such greatness about him. He was talente d, intelligent, handsome, and most of all a caring individual. It seem s as though our family missed the chance of witnessing the life of a g reat person. I often wonder had he lived what he might have been, bu t if I had to guess I would have believed that he would have been a la wyer and or statesman politician. There was forever a void in our fami ly unit when Donald Ray left us. There was a serious deficiency in th e government in notifying Mother and Papa that their oldest son had be en killed while serving his country. It was about a month after his de ath that Mother received a phone call from the Amarillo Globe newspape r asking if she would confirm a report about her son. Mother sensed e xcitement since Donald Ray had hoped to get a commission to the rank o f lieutenant. The caller sensing that Mother had no idea what the new s was about asked for Papa's work number before telling Mother the cal l was to confirm the report that her son had been killed. Papa hurrie d home and had Ed West a good neighbor picked me up at the Amarillo co untry club where I caddied. The failure of the government to properl y notify Mother and Papa of Donald Ray's death resulted in a multi-pag e telegram form then president Truman apologizing for their inappropri ate handling in notifying Mother and Papa.

Birth	Dec 25, 1925	Lawton, OK
Death	Jul 27, 1947	Luzon, Phillipines

Father	Ralph Murphy McCullough (1903 - 1986)
Mother	Anna Helen Halek (1903 - 1976)
Sibling	Norma Jean McCullough (1929 - )
Sibling	Paddy Norton McCullough (1935 - )