This is the only photo I can find of Doug and me. It was taken in Lynchburg, in 2011. That's Doug in the center of the back row.
I remember when I first heard about Doug. I was reading In Search of Lost Roses by Thomas Christopher, not long after I discovered the wonders of old, unknown roses, some time in the early 2000s. The author described how Doug, as a teen, partnered with Leonie Bell (who is not mentioned by name) to travel the Pennsylvania countryside to document and collect roses at abandoned sites and in cemeteries ... does this sound like someone else you know?
Photo of Doug with "Hollywood Pink Cluster" in 2001.
Photo by Peggy Cornett.
"Hollywood Pink Cluster"
I remember the first time that I saw Doug in person. He was the banquet speaker at a district meeting of the ARS's Colonial District in Staunton, Virginia. Doug's program was mesmerizing, and I remember sitting there in awe of the history of our repeat-flowering roses and their origins in the ever-blooming roses imported from China in the late 18th century. I don't think that most of the audience that evening fully appreciated who he was or what he had to say.
I did not approach Doug that evening, as I tend to get a bit tongue-tied when I'm around people that I admire. I used to rationalize that it was best to remember a pleasant evening, rather than regret having said something completely stupid. (I'm not so much like this anymore, thank goodness.)
A group of rose lovers, including Doug, Dennis Whetzel, and Peggy Cornett, in front of the "Crenshaw Musk Rose" at Hollywood Cemetery in 2001.
Photo by Kent Krugh.
"Crenshaw Musk Rose"
I remember when I first spoke to Doug. It was the morning after that program in Staunton. I was on the hotel elevator ... the elevator stopped at a lower floor, the door opened, and there was Doug. I had been mentally kicking myself for passing on the chance to meet him in person the night before, and I was not going to let this new opportunity slip by. I introduced myself, told him how much I loved his program, and we then spent the next two hours in the hotel lobby talking and getting acquainted. I still get goosebumps when I think about it.
Doug and I exchanged contact information as we parted that day, and we promised to keep in touch. He stubbornly refused to use computers, relying mostly on hand-written notes and phone calls. I always had a notebook nearby and a pen in hand whenever I spoke to him, whether in person or on the phone, because I never knew what our conversations would be. What to him may have been a tired story or insignificant fact, could be a valuable clue to to some mystery that I may have been thinking about. I wanted to make certain that I remembered it all.
Doug with "Red Smith's Parish" at Presidents Circle, Hollywood Cemetery.
Photo by Kent Krugh.
"Red Smith's Parish"
Through my friendship with Doug, I have met many more like-minded rose people. It is through him that I got to know the people at Monticello's Tufton Farm. Doug was the force behind the Leonie Bell Noisette Garden, where I have been working for the past few years to help preserve the roses there. Some of the plants in the Bell Garden were Doug's own, donated as a tribute to Mrs. Bell (he always called her Mrs. Bell), his mentor who nurtured that curious young man and helped him awaken a lifetime love of old roses.
Doug with 'Alba Odorata Bracteata' in Hollywood Cemetery, 2001.
Photo by Kent Krugh.
'Alba Odorata Bracteata'
I remember when Doug told me that he had been diagnosed with cancer ... an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had already spread to his bones. He and I kept in touch regularly during that time, as I was a link to Tufton and to Hollywood Cemetery, and he listened intently as I told him of my work in both of those places. He told me over and over of his experiences there and other places ... and I took notes.
Doug had hoped to see the Bell Garden again, but he never did. He took comfort in the fact that the rare roses planted there are safe, having been propagated and shared with individuals and nurseries. (I still have a few roses there to propagate, which I hope to do in the next couple of weeks.)
Doug and the group with "Oak Avenue Tea" at Hollywood Cemetery in 2001, which he identified as 'William R. Smith'.
Photo by Kent Krugh.
"Oak Avenue Tea" ... aka, 'William R. Smith'
I remember one of the last times I talked to Doug. It was in June of this year, after I sent him a surprise package full of roses and photos. (He had been scheduled to speak at the rose festival at the Old City Cemetery in Lynchburg, but he had to cancel because of his health. I was going to bring roses to him, unknown roses from my garden and from Hollywood Cemetery, for him to identify.) He said that he was so excited to open that box ... full of old friends, as he called them. One of the things he told me is that my "Tidewater Trail" is a rose that he has found in many places throughout his part of Pennsylvania.
Doug and Dennis Whetzel, identifying roses during the Open House at Tufton Farm, 2011.
I will remember Doug as a friend, a mentor, and a confidante ... someone from whom I learned so much, who awakened and nurtured my own love of roses and of discovery. I will be with Doug's friends and family as we will gather this weekend, to remember him and to say goodbye.
I will ALWAYS remember Doug ... with my memories and notes, through continuing friendships, and with some of his roses that live in my garden ... and I will always think of him and smile.