Honorary Mayor

Forty five years ago, a little boy announced his entry into the world with a crackled squawk. He was known as what some refer to as a "blue baby". His little brain had been depraved of oxygen for too long resulting in a compromised mental state. But despite the challenges Dougie faced, he grew to be a warm, generous and funny guy.

He hung out at Hilliards General Store which is the epitome of country stores. The smell inside is one of must combined with lavender and old, dry wood mixed with cinnamon. The creaky, blue wood floor spills onto a covered porch adorned with padded rocking chairs and an ice chest. This is where Dougie passes his time, rocking back and forth in his baseball cap, waiting for people to stop in so he can get their autographs.

Before softball games, my high school friends and I would go to Hilliards to buy provisions for the bus trips and there we would chat with Doug and sign little notes to him in his book. We'd known him since we were little and we just accepted him as he was, never feeling sorry for him. As we got older, some of the boys would tease him indirectly, making sexual comments that he most likely didn't get. Either because he was unable to or because he didn't care, Dougie was not bothered by their subtle jibes and would ask for their signatures despite their laughing.

Over the years, Doug collected thousands of signatures in many different books from friends and strangers alike. Often duplicate names appear in the pages of his journals, sometimes dated a few weeks apart and sometimes years span the entries. Last year, we saw Doug at a birthday party where he asked my daughter to sign his book. Not knowing him, she was a little intimidated by his close proximity to her and his slurred words, but she signed her name anyway giving him a smile and a wave goodbye.

This past week Doug was named Honorary Mayor of the small town of Hilliards, which doesn't even have it's own town council. His campaign signs were plastered on telephone poles in a mile radius of the store. His slogan: "Beware of the Doug". This simple appointment, this small token of responsibility could not have been bestowed on anyone more deserving. Doug has been the one constant Hilliards has seen in this ever changing world.

While the rest of us have changed and evolved, Doug has remained the same sweet innocent person he's always been, collecting names in his journals and greeting all that patronize the store from under his baseball cap with a big cheesy grin.