Dad was born in Kentucky and soon after the whole family moved to Indiana. They ended up on Indianapolis' southwest side near Rhodius Park. Rayburn and Christeen had four more boys and a girl. All of who attended Washington High School.

Dad wasn't much of a schoolboy. He said it was too boring. He liked to spend his free time at the park racing his car or chasing the girls. He quit school after his junior year to start working.

He and mom were high school sweethearts. They married the winter after her graduation on November 27, 1965. She was the only woman he ever loved.When dad turned 21, he joined the Teamsters Union and started working at All American Freight Company. He became very active in Local # 135 and developed quite a reputation, as both a good worker and a strong union man. Though he worked for several freight companies, much of his employment was with American Freight, Turner Trucking, and Overland, retiring from the business in 1997.

I'm in the freight industry now and work with several men who knew dad. I hear stories of him all the time. Many call him a "legend" everyone knew his name and reputation. He wasn't afraid to make sacrifices for the good of the union and was respected for that reason.

In his younger years, dad enjoyed hunting and fishing. We had a boat and I remember many family outings on the lake skiing and swimming. We went on vacation every summer to Dale Hollow Lake. Our entire time there was spent fishing and boating.

Later in life, mom coaxed dad into a vacation to Florida. That quickly became our vacation spot. To this day, the whole family goes to Panama City Beach and stays at the same hotel year after year.

Dad also enjoyed motorcycles. He built a three-wheeler from a kit and an old VW Bug. All of his friends came over and helped him tinker with hat thing until it was done. The whole neighborhood can recall him riding wheelies up and down the street on it.

Looking back, dad had to be extremely proud. He was a good provider and we never wanted for anything as kids. He taught each of us to make our own choices and stick with them. He also instilled a good work ethic in each of us.

We all have our own families and have started our own legacies now. We wanted a way to honor dad and his was a great idea. I hope you enjoy the pictures. We had a hard time finding enough of dad because he was always the cameraman. If any of you have any of him, we would love to have a copy.

Thank you,
Danny