I’m not old enough to be one of those people who scans the obituaries for friends. But every now and then I read them because 1.) it’s good to be reminded of mortality, and 2.) they often contain interesting stories.
Case in point: The obituary of former Shell Beach resident Robert Henry Dourson, who died in Pacific Palisades last month at age 95. Dourson was a pretty interesting guy – he was a violin player who worked with Shell Oil before becoming a computer math professor at Cal Poly. But I found this paragraph especially interesting:
“Pop’s many interests included St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Boy Scouts, square and ball-room dancing, bonsai and gladiolus horticulture, gemology, clamming, camping, canoeing, and his pet of 85 years, desert tortoise, “Old Bill.”
That’s right: When Dourson was ten years old, he got a pet turtle. And through the years, wherever he went, the tortoise was there. As he became an adult. As he reached middle age. As he became an old man.
Dourson and his tortoise. Bob and Bill.
Chances are, Old Bill represented Dourson’s longest relationship, easily predating his wife, who passed away in 2005, and children.
Then there are other questions:
How old was Old Bill when Dourson got him?
When did he become “Old” Bill?
Where is he now?
Is Old Bill despondent now that his lifelong friend is gone?
I figure Dourson was a pretty good tortoise owner since he was a member of the Too SLO Tortoise Club. Which sounds like a pretty interesting group, though I would imagine their meetings are a bit – ahem – slow.
I know there’s a lot more to Dourson’s life than his pet tortoise. But I can’t help thinking of a little boy getting a turtle in 1923, then slowly aging, going through the many phases of life, as the tortoise remains virtually unchanged for 85 years.
A memorial for Dourson will be held tomorrow in San Luis Obispo. I can only wonder if Old Bill will be there to say goodbye to his friend.
Posted on June 20th, 2008 by Pat
Filed under: The World According to Pat
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