We Say Goodbye to Doug

 It Wasn't Easy, But We Did It

       

        Our family made it possible on a warm summer day, September 13, 2024.  We gathered at the Chautauqua Dining Hall in Boulder for breakfast before we began putting together the final touches for Doug's funeral at 2pm that day. 

 

And Here's To Doug!

This is what family is for, right? 

 On the left side of the picture: Mimi, Kasi, Karol, Kristi, André, Brett

At the head of the table: Julie

On the right side of the picture: My cousins Susan Johnsen and David Young, Me, Catherine, Eileen, Steven, Ed

 

Mimi Gammill Griggs, Kasi Verschoyle, and Kristi Leonard are the daughters of my sister Karol.  Daniel could not be with us, but met us later at the church.

 

        After breakfast, The Gammill family took off on their own, Steven went back to his hotel room, as did my cousins and Ed. Catherine, Julie, Brett, and I headed up to the mountain house. André and Eileen went to work on the eulogy for Doug. Brett figured out the placement of Doug's photos on a board for the reception, and I put finishing touches on the slide show I had put together, also for the reception. 

        We all headed back to St. Adian's, and Catherine and Julie headed out to pick up altar flowers, while Brett, Eileen, and I ser up things in the parish hall. André stayed in his truck working on the eulogy. Daniel showed up, and then the family began to gather. All of us and Doug's brother's family as well. 

        Our rector, Mary Kate Rejouìs led us into the church, which was filled with about 200 people. It was everything that Doug had wanted. The reception, arranged by parishioners was stunning and lasted a long time. So we were pretty tired and a bit numb. André and Eileen left to go pick up you, Luca. Daniel went back to Denver. 

        The rest of us went for Mexican food, including Margaritas. The next day we said our farewells. I picked up Shelby Poodle from daycare and she and I headed home with Doug's ashes, where they remain on a table in my bedroom.

        We miss him, of course.

 

And the Three of You

Joanie,  Rafe, and Luca 

Doug took immense pride in his role as a grandfather to Luca Kaiser and great grandfather to Joanie and Rafe Pffafenbach.

        And, finally, to the three of you. I dedicated this book to you because you won't remember our Doug, but rest assured, in the short time he knew the three of you, he loved being in your presence, hearing about you, and seeing pictures of you. He just beamed any time he talked about you.

        Here are some pictures of those memories.

We Meet Joanie: May 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We Meet Rafe: Oct. 2024

These pictures of Luca and Doug are from December 2024 and Winter of 2025 .

We loved the Giraffes at Juniper Village

Doug & Luca Share a Meal

Luca is Dubious About Doug's Drawing Talent

The Grown Up Grandchildren

 Brett,  Eric, Andrew, and Legend

Doug took immense pride in his role as a grandfather to Brett O’Brien (Alex Pfaffenbach) Eric Newmiller, Andrew Newmiller...Legend Teller

 

        Right now, we have four grandchildren in all, three of whom are grownups. Luca, who is about to turn three, is actually younger than Joanie. He is our fourth grandchild, however. As I write this, Brett and Eric are 38 years old, and Andrew will turn 35 in April. 

 

Brett O'Brien. The very first grandchild, whose mother is Catherine. We spent may of Brett's childhood years with her. Catherine was at Neiman Marcus at the time and felt the stress of holiday demands along with having a child at home.  Even in a managerial position, she had long, long days, evolving into nights beginning in the fall and gearing up in December, just when Brett's school would be out for the holidays. 

        That time off fit perfectly with both Doug and me, because we were teaching. Even though we had finals to grade, we were off at the same time that Brett was. It made perfect sense for us to come to Richardson to stay with Brett during that time. So we would board the animals and take off, driving so that we would have a car. We'd drive south to Raton, New Mexico, then head east and south to the Dallas area.      

        Brett was an easy child and didn't require a lot of looking after. We were mostly the adult presence in the house. We had great conversations, though, and it was fun to meet her friends and to take her to parties here and there. We played games and did walks when the weather was cool enough, but not too cold. At times, we would have dinner ready for Catherine when she got home from work.  On Christmas Eve, we would go to Christ the King Catholic Church for Midnight Mass. 

        I don't quite remember when Catherine announced that Brett was now able to stay on her on during Christmas break, but it was the end of an era for Doug and me, when we knew we were helping out, while at the same time enjoying every minute of it.  

        Over the years, we came to Boston College twice, for Parents Weekend and for her graduation. We got to go to her 30th birthday celebration in New York, and later to her wedding reception. Then, of course, we came to meet Joanie when she was born, and later, Rafe, when he came along.  Doug and I enjoyed those milestones tremendously.

        Here are some pictures.

Doug, Grandma Kay, Brett, Eric

Catherine, Brett, Doug in Boulder

Catherine, Doug, Alex in Nederland

        Doug liked to brag that he had a grandson-in-law. He thought that was amazing, although people usually just gave him a blank look when he told them.

Doug, G. Kay, Catherine, Brett, Alex

 Eric Newmiller.  Eric is our second grandchild, born only a few months after Brett. He is Julie's oldest son.  We much enjoyed Eric's childhood and growing up. We would always see him during our holiday visits to care for Brett. Occasionally, I would come to stay with him and Andrew while Julie and Ned would vacation. We had great times going to plays, making cookies, and going to bookstores. Doug always enjoyed Eric's quick wit and sense of humor, a characteristic he has had always. When Eric was at the University of Texas, Doug loved talking with him about his classes. I remember one Christmas in particular, when both Eric and Brett announced that they thought James Joyce was overrated.  It was actually a pronouncement. Doug and I just nodded. Of course, we're both English professors. Joyce is not overrated, but that's another subject altogether.

        After Eric graduated and moved to Chicago we saw less of him. Yet, when we did get together at family reunions and other occasions, we felt right at home catching up with his life.

Here are some picutres:

 

Eric at Central Park

Eric & Doug

In the first picture, we are all in New York for Brett's 30th birthday. Eric had walked over to Central Park to meet us for coffee. I'm not sure where the second picture was taken, but notice the look of sheer pleasure and admiration on Doug's face. 

 

Andrew Newmiller.  Andrew is Julie's second son. He is unique in many ways. Along with Eric, Doug and I enjoyed holiday visits with him while he was growing up.  Early on, it was clear that he had a real talent for writing, and we exchanged manuscripts with one another. Like his brother, Andrew also has a quick wit and great sense of humor. Our greatest memory of Andrew, however, is when he came to live with us for a few months in Boulder after his high school graduation.  We quickly got into a rhythm of our days, and both Doug and I loved having him there with us. He took an English class at Front Range College while he was with us.  The three of us also established a workout routine at the YMCA. Andrew actually created a program for both Doug and me, so the three of us would set off for the Y, where we would go our separate ways and meet up in the lobby after we finished our workout. Then, we'd either go to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner or go on home, where Andrew was really adept at cooking his own meals. 

        Andrew was great company when he lived with us, and when he decided to return to Texas, we really missed him. Again, as with his brother, we haven't seen him often during his adult years, but we love it when we do. Last spring, as Doug's memory was fading, he had a moment of clarity when he said that he'd like to see Andrew. I think memories of his time with us had bubbled up. So Andrew and Julie came to Boulder, much to Doug's and my delight. It was only a few months before Doug died, but he did recognize Andrew.

         Here are some pictures:

At André's house in Nederland

André, Doug, Andrew at Ed & Julie's house

 Legend Teller.  As I write this Legend Teller is 13 years old. Legend and his mom Eileen came into Doug's life about five years ago, when André and Eileen got together. André and Legend have a great relationship, and we have welcomed him into our family circle because, actually, he's a great kid. And he's a great big brother to Luca.

 

Legend & Luca Read Books

 

        Since André and Eileen got together during the time of COVID, we had to first meet one another at a distance, and it was a few months before we could actually get together in person. We were still living in the mountain house, although we would move into town for Doug's care shortly. Even though Doug's health was declining, he was able to spend time getting to know this new addition to our family. We had gatherings, and Doug always remembered the Thanksgivings that we had a Eileen's parents' house. 

Eileen & Luca Read Books

 

        When Doug went into Juniper Village, Legend often came with the family to visit him. As short as the time was together, they had a good relationship, and I'm glad that Legend got to know him.

 

His Blended Family: Catherine, Julie, and André

 His and My Children

He is survived by his blended family members: daughters  Catherine Cook and Julie French (Ed), and son Andre Kaiser (Eileen Teller) 

        As I write this brief history if Doug, which I started in the fall of 2024, it is now January of 2025.  I'm writing from our little cottage in the mountains above Boulder. When I woke up this morning, the temperature was -11--yes, minus 11. We have about six inches of snow on the ground, and I have a fire in the wood stove nicely blazing. Today is actually January 20, auspiciously inauguration of a president I vehemently voted against as well as our national Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.   But back to Doug and the children.

        When Doug and I first got together in 1989, Catherine was 31, Julie was 28, and André was 11 (It was the summer; he would turn 12 in December of that year. ) In 1989, Catherine was living in Richardson, Texas; Julie was in Houston; André was in Boulder with me.  Each of the children took immediately to Doug. I mean, who wouldn’t?  But I think they were relieved for me, their mother, that I had found someone who was kind, gentle, gainfully employed, and who adored me.

        Doug was thrilled to have more family members, and throughout the years, as they grew older, we managed to find time together, and that, for us, was always the best of times. Right now as I write, Catherine lives in Connecticut, but is still working at Bloomingdale's and has an apartment in the city. Julie and Ed live in Wimberley, Texas, and Andre and Eileen live in Nederland, Colorado.   

        Doug's relationship with each of the children was unique, and he valued them in each in their own way. Over the 33 years that we were married, their lives changed in many ways, and, like all families and all children, they had their ups and downs, moments of chaos, sorrow, happiness, and celebration. With no exceptions whatever, Doug supported them in all their endeavors, bragged about them, worried about them, and always considered them as his own.

 

Catherine.

 

Catherine, Doug, and my sister Karol

 

 

 

 

 

         This picture of Catherine probably says it best. We are in New York, and I'm pretty sure this is the occasion of Brett's 30th birthday. Catherine always organized our trips to visit, down to the last detail. I'm quite sure that we had reservations and that restaurant. When later, Doug and I were tired, but Brett's party was still in full swing, Catherine ordered an Uber for us. When we traveled to see her, whether in Texas, California, or New York, we were always relieved that we knew exactly what would be happening and that we would be taken care of. She was always generous with getting our flights and places to stay.  The last trip Doug took, as I have said earlier, was to Connecticut to meet our great grandson Rafe. Catherine arranged for first class tickets for us all, car transportation, and a stay at a lovely and spacious Airbnb that faced the river.  All of this in spite of an incredibly busy professional life. 

 

 

Catherine and Doug, High Line Walk NYC

Doug and I had wanted to walk the High Line, and even though it's a big tourist attraction, Catherine took us there, making sure we had coffee on that chilly day. Later, when Doug was tired, she ordered an Uber for him to go back to the hotel, while we continued the walk.

        Julie.  We spent some great times with Julie and family when they were in Austin and later in Wimberley in a beautiful and peaceful house they had designed in the Hill Country.  

 

Me, Doug, Julie, Andrew, and Eric

Of course, I was honored to officiate and Julie and Ed's wedding, which took place in their house in Austin. It was New Year's Day, 2010.

 

            

Julie and Doug on Long Island Sound

 We had come to celebrate Joanie's first birthday in late May. And it was that cold. Doug was having a real issue with lymphedema, but was so happy to be traveling and to be with family. He and Julie are in deep conversation, but I don't know about what.

        In the spring of 2023, a year and a half before Doug died, Julie came to stay with him for a week while I went to my yoga and dance retreat in Mexico.  At that time, Doug needed a lot of assistance with his care. I had someone come in for his showers and dressing, and each night, an aide came to give him his meds, about five different pills. He wasn't able to drive, so Julie took him to doctor appointments,  walked with him as he was getting used to using a walker, and made sure his days went smoothly. They mostly enjoyed talking with one another. Doug loved their time together. In fact, he was deeply disappointed when Julie visited a few months before his death that I was not going to Mexico and Julie was not here to stay with him. Julie and I still laugh at the look of deep disappointment on his face when her realized I was not going anywhere. 

André.  He was almost 12 when Doug and I got together, and since he lived with us and later, even into his adulthood, he was always close by, so he and Doug formed a special bond over the years. Doug offered André support and consistency through the challenging teenage years, and at one time, he lived with Doug while he was finishing high school and I was teaching in Utah. Later, in his adult years, he stayed again with Doug to complete course in HVAC that he was taking in Denver. 

Luca, André, and Doug Out for a Walk

My Birthday Dinner at André's

 

  

A

A Much Needed Shave

When Doug became ill and later, in 2024, when he was in the hospital, then rehab, then memory care, André helped with all arrangements, visited Doug on a weekly basis, bring Eileen, Legend, and Luca when he could. 

 

The Amalfi Coast.

 At Doug's funeral, André spoke of his high school years, when music and especially guitar, were an important part of his life. He and Doug would practice heavy metal music together, André on guitar and Doug at the piano. We all loved the image that he evoked and how much it characterized Doug, who was willing to try anything for the children.

        

       

        

Yes, Of Course. He Had His Faults

     They Were Not Numerous, However

    Just in case you think he was perfect, be assured he wasn't. No one is. So here are some things that will make you raise your eyebrows.

1. He snored. Loudly. He would even wake himself up. 
2. He loved, and I do mean loved, junk food.  It was not unusual to find wadded up paper from MacDonald's in his car. A hot dog and french fries were heaven to him. He also loved sweets of all kinds.
3. He probably drank too much coffee--several cups a day and into the night. I'm not certain this is an actual fault, however. Maybe just a habit.
4. He was terrible at anything involving numbers or money. Bank accounts, restaurant bills, tips. He didn't like to have change in his pocket, so he left behind an enormous amount of coins. They are in a bag right now in my studio. It's so heavy, I can hardly lift it. I'll take the coins to a converting machine soon, but I'm guessing about $200 in pennies, dimes, nickels, and pennies, along with the odd Euros thrown in.  
5. He would go to the grocery store for bread and milk. He would come home with cookies, tuna sandwiches, crackers, peanut butter, bacon, and salami. I would go through the groceries, and say, "Where's the bread and milk?" He would slap his forehead and say, "What ails me? I forgot them!"
6. He left the toilet seat up. Always.
7. He didn't floss his teeth.
   
8. He could overreact at times. Here's an example.  Doug was an okay driver, but he could get distracted, so mostly I did the driving.  In the early days of our being together, we would be in the car, probably driving to get the bread and milk he forgot. I would be in heavy traffic, and all was calm until he would shout, "OH! NO!"  I would slam on the brakes and pull over, my heart pounding. "What," I would demand. "I FORGOT MY PENCIL. IT'S NOT IN MY POCKET." We had to have a talk about that. The talk would begin, "Doug, especially when I'm driving, would you please not be so dramatic unless there is something seriously wrong, like you're having a heart attack or something? Please?"
9. He was the absent-minded professor. Yes. He really did fit that stereotype.  There is a favorite story about him, and Mimi tells it best.  We were having a reunion in Estes Park or may be at the beach. I can't quite remember what we were talking about (speaking of being absent-minded), but Doug started making suggestions about what we would do that evening or where we might go for dinner. As Mimi tells it, I said, "Doug, we've already talked about that." Doug just smiled and said, "Oh. What did we say?'
10.  I always wished he would pay more attention to his health. I would encourage him to eat healthy foods, do yoga, lift weights, take vitamins, stretch, get enough sleep. I hadn't realized I was nagging; after all, I was only trying to be helpful.  But when he had to remind me, "Kay. I'm your husband. I'm not your project."  I sheepishly shut up. Let me be very clear. Even if Doug had taken my well-intended advice (he had no intention of doing that), it would have made nor difference with his final illness. That was absolutely out of his control.
11. ?
12. ?
13. ?

Feel free to add to the list. Good luck! 

Our Motto: Travel Till You Can't Special Edition

 The London Terror Attacks, July 7, 2005

We Were There With Students

 

Photo from The Guardian

            There is much to learn on a Study Abroad trip to London, and to begin, this trip was no exception to our other brief summer Study Abroad trips I led when I was a professor at Southern Utah University. Doug always came with me, of course. I couldn't have done it without him.  We had done a London bus tour along with the giant Ferris Wheel over the Thames, so that students could get oriented to the city. I.m not sure why Doug is frowning in the picture, but most likely the guide had misstated some fact.

Kurt Harris, Doug, and I on the Tourist Bus.

 

        We were staying at Regent's College across from Regent's Park, and we had checked in, gotten out ID cards, and explored the area around us, especially Regent's Park so beautiful with its rose gardens, paths, and little coffee shop.

        The morning of July 7 was well planned. After a good breakfast and great cup of coffee at the college, we headed out to our nearest Underground stop, the Marlyebone Station. We were headed over to the Globe on the other side of the Thames. Part of our students' experience abroad was learning the Underground system as a way to get anywhere you wanted to in London--that, and walking, of course.

        We got to the station, only to see that the entrance was blocked off by a gate, and a sign was up that the station was closed. Frankly, we weren't concerned at all; it's not unusual for a station to shut down because of repairs or some malfunction in the system. 

        We just proceeded to Plan B, which was to take the bus.  But. Bus after bus kept passing by, not stopping, because it was too full already. I think we felt only a little uneasy as we put Plan C into action: Walk.  London is a great walking City, and the Globe was only three miles away. We figured we'd catch a bus or Underground when the morning rush was over.

        We had walked only a short distance, maybe a couple of blocks, when the sandwich boards with headlines on them began to appear on the sidewalks. As often happens, the people in the midst of chaos are often the last to find out what's going on. By this time there were ambulances and rescue trucks going in every direction, and all of us on the street were stunned at the headlines that read: "Terrorist Attacks on the Underground." 

        What do we do? What can we do? And what do our families back home know about what's happening, And are we safe?     

        My first thought was making sure the students were safe. Cell phones were hardly sophisticated in 2005, and I'm not sure any of us had one anyway. We stood on a corner, I think on Oxford Street, as I said, "We need to figure out how to get in touch with your parents." As if I had rubbed Aladdin's lamp, a gentleman from Barclay's bank stepped forward and said, "We have an international line in the bank, and you are welcome to use it." He lead us into a back room, showed us how to dial, and left us alone. It was morning in London, and I thought that no one would be awake in the states, but to a one, the parents had heard about the bombings and were frantic.  We were mostly stunned, so not showing much emotion, but I remember particularly when Meghan reached her parents, and I heard her say, "We're safe." And then I saw her burst into tears. 

        We still weren't clear about the extent of the attack and sirens were still sounding in all directions; later it became clear that three lines had been attacked and a bus had exploded at Tavistock Square, but for the moment, it sounded like utter chaos.

        "We'll walk," I said.  And we headed toward the Thames and onward to the Globe, while all around us, people were filling the streets, shops were closing down, as the city itself began to shut down. On our way to the Globe we stopped at St. Paul's, that sturdy and stalwart cathedral that had withstood the worst of the blitz. As we walked in we were greeted by someone who said, "All our clergy are at the scenes of the bombings, but you're welcome to come in for quiet time and to light a candle for those who have been killed or injured." And so we did just that. Twelve mostly LDS students and Doug and I sat in that stately space in silence, and one by one, we got up to light a candle, and filed quietly out of the cathedral.

 

Doug at the Top Of St. Paul's: Happier Times

 

        Across the Thames and at the Globe, there were three or four people working to refund tickets for that night's performance.  The students looked around at the space that we had hoped to tour before seeing the play that evening.

        As we started our return walk to Regent's College,  we saw an absolutely shut down London. All cars had been banished except for emergency vehicles, only a few shops remained open, and all public transportation was shut down, buses included. Londoners were walking calmly in the streets, speaking in low voices to one another. We came across one woman trying to figure out how to get home, since she loved eight miles away, but she resolutely started walking.

    Doug thought he had carefully planned our route back to Regent's, and he had. We followed him as he pointed out places of interest along the way in this ghost town that was London. I was so grateful for his calm presence and his deep knowledge of the city where he had holed up in Russell Square to finish his master's thesis and where he and his family  had lived for a year.

    I think he was talking to us all about the Bloomsbury group, when we turned a corner and found ourselves at Tavistock Square, where lay the twisted ruins of the bus that had been bombed.

    We stopped dead in our tracks and gaped. There were a few people taking pictures, and some of our group did that too. And some of us left that scene as soon as possible, breathless over what we had just seen. 

 

NPR Image of Bus at Tavistock Square

         We made it back to Regent's College, and spent the rest of the night watching CNN coverage and finding out how the tragedy of that day evolved. All airlines announced that there would be no charges for people changing their flights to leave London. I told the students that we would work with getting them back home, but none of them wanted to leave.

         The next day, a few lines on the Underground had opened, and Doug offered to take students to the Imperial War Museum, which had been on the agenda. About five students decided to go with him on the Underground, and so they took off. That Doug! "Once more unto the breach!" There was no way I was taking the Underground, so the rest of us walked to the London Zoo. 

        Fifty-two people were killed in London that day and many more injured. It was an unplanned lesson in tragedy, chaos, kindness, and courage

 

        

Our Motto: Travel Until You Can't!

 And That's Exactly What We Did!

        Besides our politics and our religious faith, what Doug and I had most in common was our love for travel. Frankly, I think what Doug loved even more than travel, was planning for travel.  I'm quite serious about that truth.  While I took care of almost all of our business concerns--bank accounts, payments, filing taxes, etc.--Doug completely took over planning our travel. He did it with the same enthusiasm that was apparent when he was preparing for classes. I was thrilled, of course. I knew that each trip we took would be planned not only down to where we would stay, but also what activities was might do day by day. 

 

         I just needed to drop a suggestion. "I'd like to go to the Cinque Terra in Italy. I just read an article about it in the Times." And he'd be off. He'd buy not one, but two, and often three travel books to begin with and then get out his handy legal pad and start taking notes.  I was happy leaving it all to him, and he would ask me questions from time to time, but we were so compatible with our travel ideas, that I knew I would love to do what he had planned.

        The yellow legal pad notes did not stop there. Every evening, no matter where we were, he would prop up in bed and begin recording the day. In detail. After our trips he loved to get out those legal pads and read over them. From time to time, he'd ask, "Do you remember what you had for dinner on London on Wednesday, the 12th?" In response to my blank look, he's rattle off, "We both had fish and chips, but I had coffee and you had a glass of wine. We walked to the pub, which was only a couple of blocks from where we were staying in Golders Green." I'd just stare at him as he grinned widely in delight that he had recorded those meals. (Sadly, we lost all of his yellow pad journals on the flood of 2013. Although we lost everything in that flood, including our cars, I know that was his biggest regret.  I'm sorry about that loss, too, but I think I wouldn't be able to read his writing even if I still had them.)

Where Did We Go?

• To the UK several times.  

         London is one of our favorite cities, and we always felt at home there. Doug and his family had lived in Golders Green for a year, so the city was like home for him, and it became that way for me too. Our friend Helen Hawkins lived in London, and while she was an editor for the Times, we'd enjoy her generosity with theatre tickets and private clubs afterwards. We also took students there several summers, staying at Regent's College. Of course, there was always something new to explore each time we went, but we always made time for the British Museum and the British Library. Doug's very last international trip was to London in 2022. We knew then that travel had become to challenging and he had become too exhausted to enjoy the trip.

 

At Shakespeare's Globe, London

 

        But we were all over the place in the UK: The Lake District and Cornwall were our favorites in England, along with Holy Island, Lindisfarne. In Scotland, we enjoyed Edinburgh, but mostly traveled to Iona in the Hebrides. We had a great love of Wales and the Welsh, having stayed just outside of St. David's.

Doug & Kay at a Celidh on Iona in the Hebrides

• Ireland. At least twice to Dublin once and then to Galway. Doug also traveled to the Aran Islands while I was at a conference in Galway.

• France.  Paris was also one of our favorite cities. We have been there several times, most frequently staying in the Marais.  We liked traveling in France, though and spent time near Le Mont St. Michel, Rouen, The Taizé Community, Toulouse, Foix, Carcassone, the Brittany region, The Languedoc region for Cassoulet on Doug's birthday. Peyreperteuse to see Cathar Castle ruins, another birthday request from Doug, St. Malo.  A day trip from Foix to see the prehistoric cave paintings of Niaux was so beautiful  and overwhelming that I cast aside my claustrophobia, as stepped right in to the dark slippery, narrow passageway to the first open space where the drawings from 17,000 years ago.

  

  Lunch at the Rodin Museum in Paris
  

  
  
  

• Italy. Our first time there was Venice, The Cinque Terra, Florence, with a side trip to Pisa. We traveled and met up with several friends. The second trip was a small village on Lake Como.  Our third was the Amalfi Coast with family, with a day trip to Naples and the ruins of Pompeii. Hiking, art, food, the canals. I learned to ignore the sneering waiters when I ordered cappuccino in the afternoons.  We always meant to, but we never made it to Rome. 

  

  On the Isle of Capri
  

  
  

• Spain. Our one trip there was to Barcelona, where we stayed near Las Ramblas, and saw signs in four languages: Spanish, French, Catalan, and English. We loved all the Gaudy. and we especially loved a side trip to Montserrat, accessible by way of a funicular. 

• Canada.  Many times to British Columbia and memorably to New Brunswick and The Bay of Fundy. 
• 
  
• Istanbul , Turkey.  That was a Rick Steves trip, the only time we did a group trip. We were in Istanbul more than a week. The sites, the people, the food. Utterly remarkable, and I'll always remember the Muslim call to prayer. 

  

  Lunch in Istanbul
  

  
  

• The United States. We traveled all over. I think Doug had been to every state on the continental U.S., and I have been to all bu two: North Dakota and South Dakota. The very last trip Doug took was to see our New York and Connecticut family, shortly after our great grandson Rafe was born. That was in October 2023. Catherine gave us first class tickets--André, Eileen, Legend, Luca, Doug, and me--and that made the trip comfortable and doable, She also rented us a waterfront Airbnb in Westport, which was beautiful and comfortable with lots of room for us to gather with her, Brett, Joanie, Alex, and Rafe.

  

  Doug, Eileen, and Joanie: His Last Trip
  

  
  

    Our mode of travel was this. We stayed in B&Bs, Gîtes, Airbnbs, and small two-star hotels, We took buses and trains, the Underground and the Metro. We did a lot of walking. We stopped at small cafes for coffee breaks while we were exploring wherever we were. On our final trip to London, as we were leaving a play at the New Vic, I was worried about walking back to the Waterloo Station. Doug had been so tired from our walk from the station to the theatre that we had to sit and rest. As we left the theatre, I saw the queue of taxi cabs all lined up and beckoning to us. And that's how we got back to our place. It was probably only the second or third cab we had taken in the many times we'd been to London, and it was a real relief!

Meeting Shakespeare in Stratford (No idea who the others are)

Professor Burger

He Taught Us All

Doug’s teaching career in English at CU-Boulder was legendary...

What He Taught.

     Doug was a gifted teacher, without doubt. He has many attributes that made him a good teacher, but the outstanding one, the one that made his students remember him years and even decades later, was that he treated all students with dignity and respect. Of course, he treated everyone that way. He merely brought his outlook on life into the classroom.  That could be a rarity in a college classroom.

    The main thing that was important to him as he related to his students was that he learned all their names. While this attribute may not seem unusual to you, you need to be aware that in the college classrooms where he was teaching, it was a rarity that professors learned the names of all their students, especially if they had large classes of 50 or 100 or even higher. It made no difference for Doug: an honors class of 8 or a Shakespeare class of 150, he knew the names of all his students usually by the second class meeting.

            

        In the course of his 44-yearcareer, he taught:

• Advanced Grammar
• Chaucer
• Milton
• Shakespeare
• Shakespeare for Non-Majors
• Old English
• Early English Literature
• Images of Men in Literature
• Composition
• Humanities
• Honors English

I think that about covers it. Of course, this isn't counting the numerous times, he taught informally. He offered lectures and sessions during Parents Weekends;  he was much sought after to give talks to various organization; and, upon retirement, he offered this lecture:

 

 How He Taught.

        If you were Doug's student, or if you attended one of his lectures, you would get the impression that he breezed into the room and began, off the top of his head, to speak about Othello or Romeo or Hamlet or The Wife of Bath. It would seem that he carried all this information around with him, packed in his brain, so to speak.  It seemed as if he would walk up the lectern, look out at the students, as if to say, "What is the topic for today? Oh, yes, Hamlet, Act One, Scene One." Then he would launch into the important elements of that scene, calling on students to add what they thought, moving forward gracefully, so that at the end of the hour, he would have covered what he intended. He always, always carried with him a yellow legal pad with his notes on it, but he would seldom, if ever, look at it. After class, he would hang around and talk with students.  He would then go for coffee or meet office hours, or go home.

    As I said, it would seem that way--Doug just breezing in, talking for 50 minutes, answering questions, elaborating on a comment, giving the background for the reading, adding his own thoughts, smiling all the while and making good eye contact with all who were present.

    But I lived with him.  Let me fill you in.

    Doug spent hours upon hours preparing for class. It would not matter how many times he had taught a certain work, he would always carefully reread it. Then, he would go to the library or got to his computer to look up the latest scholarship. He would come back and begin taking notes. I could never read what he wrote. His handwriting was small, cursive, of course. He divided the paper into two columns.  He knew exactly how many notes would amount to a class time, accounting for students questions and comments.  He would take those notes with him to class, lay them on the desk, and never look at them

    At the end of the semester, he would file the current notes with all the past notes on the same topic. For each folder, he had years and years and even decades of notes. When he retired, I thought it would be a good idea to recycle those notes. We had a small house, and we could use the space. But no. "I might need them some day," he declared. 

    When he died, I took six large green garbage bags full of notes to recycling--and I apologized to him for doing so. 

Doug Prepares for Class

The picture is dark, but take a look. He has a book in this hands, not doubt a text that he will be teaching the next day. Look at the stack of notes and books on the floor beside his chair. He has dragged all these items out and will spend the entire evening going back and forth from his text, looking at his old notes, looking at other books, taking notes.  You will also see a coffee cup on the table beside the chair. Always full.

His Awards.

    This is just a sampling. They speak for themselves.

 

     The Stearns Award: The Robert L. Stearns Award at the University of Colorado Boulder recognizes faculty and staff for exceptional achievement or service: Teaching, Service to the university, Working with students, Research, and Off-campus service. 

• 2009: Douglas A. Burger
• 2009: Patricia N. Limerick
• 2009: Owen “Brian” Toon

    The President's Teaching Scholars Program:   President's Teaching Scholars are recognized by the University for excellence in and active commitment to teaching and learning. A President's Teaching Scholar is expected to actively commit to excellence in teaching, and serve as a model and mentor on their home campus. There have been 103 President's Teaching Scholars since the inception of the program in 1989:

1989

Douglas Burger (Emeritus)

Boulder

English