Spike - 1936

A "Photomatic" picture taken June 4, 1936 at Union Station in Chicago. On July 25, 1936, the family left Chicago and moved West, where his father's brother, Clint, lived in Kelso, Washington and a sister, Lulu, lived in Tacoma. As Carrie writes: "Bob and Emma bought a used 1932 big black Buick from a Northwestern University professor, through a dealer who promised to teach them both to drive. They purchased a one-wheel trailer for their immediate travelling needs and stored their furniture. They followed the old Lincoln Hiway out of Chicago and Illinois to Clinton and DeWitt, Iowa, where there were relatives and cousins to stay with. After a 2,885 mile journey, they found a 2-story house on Pacific Avenue near the train depot in Kelso. Then Emma sent for her Chicago furniture, and enrolled the boys in school - Spike was in the 9th grade at Puckett Junior High. His life-long friend, Roy Parker, helped make his "thirteens" O.K.! Spike's dad was in poor health and needing hospitalization. He was ultimately transferred to a Navy hospital in Oakland, California and was gone for three months. When Bob returned from California they moved to Tacoma. "

Spike and the GI Bill

As Carrie writes: "Spike used his GI Bill to enroll in North Pacific Dental School in Portland, Oregon - soon to become OHSU Dental School. He was in the freshman class of 1946. To his surprise three Baltimore men were also there - Bill Mathers, Miller and Hutchinson. Spike received his doctorate in May 1949 at Portland's Benson Auditorium."

Spike and his family - Tacoma, Washington

From left: Parents Bob (Robert William) & Emma, Spike, brothers Carl and Butch (Richard Frank). Brother Stretch (Robert William) was drafted and went into immediate serivce as he became eligible. He was shipped into the end of the Battle of the Bulge with General Patton's troops in Germany. He was the only son who saw WW II action.

The Navy's V-12 Unit

Spike with Carl Mau (on left). Carl was a Willamette roommate, who became the Secretary General of the Lutheran World Federation in Geneva, Switzerland. As Carrie writes: "After a season of football at the College of Puget Sound, Spike had to join a military group to stay in school. His dad had been in the Navy, and the V-12 program included pre-medicine and dentistry, so he joined. The CPV V-12 Unit prepared to move its second accelerated year to Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. At 20 years old, Spike was now wearing an apprentice seaman's uniform and had cut the 'curlydab' of hair for the necessary crew cut. His mom gasped when she first saw him in the uniform of his father. Spike finished his Willamette tour, and as an Officer Training Cadet, entered University of Maryland Dental School in Baltimore, MD at John Hopkins temporarily.

Yell King for the Stadium HS Tigers ! 1939-1940

Spike was named "Class Cup-up" at Stadium in 1940. His youngest brother, Carl, nicknamed Spike " the Governor." In her biography of Spike's mom, Emma, Carrie writes: "... It never dawned on Em that higher education would be available to them. But when Coach Leo Frank of the College of Puget Sound knocked on her door at Oakes Street and said Spike would be eligible for a scholarship if he would play football at the school, she encouraged him to adjust his work schedule and at least try. It was amazing because he had only played ball one "questionable" high school year. Hardly a recommendation! "

Father's Day - June 2007

Spike at his home in Milton. The family was all together, including Bob and Colleen and the SuperBowl ring. Everyone had a good time trying it on !

The Swedish Reunion - 1982 - Inverness, California

The gathering of the Person clan. Immediate family members are: (counterclockwise from bottom left - Shannon Marshall, Paul Ferguson with Matt, Judy Ferguson, Carrie Ferguson, Neal McKechnie, Alice McKechnie, Inga Maj Bondpers, Per Eric Bondpers, Kristina Hunning - Far right corner at top - right to left - Spike Ferguson, Kathy Marshall, Fred Marshall