Biography of William Page Douglas, Jr.
This remembrance of Page is from the perspective of Don Healy, a nephew of his, to whom Page was a beloved uncle, mentor, business partner, friend and client during his life. Page was one of the “Greatest Generation” as typified by Tom Brokaw in his book about the men and women that endured the Great Depression and World War II and rebuilt our nation and the world with their courage, sacrifice and honor. Later generations owe Page and all the aunts, uncles and parents of his generation a debt of gratitude for their efforts in creating the world we live in today and should pass on this legacy to those that follow us.
William Page Douglas, Jr., who went by Page was born 7/18/1919 in Berkeley, California to Isobel (McGilchrist) Douglas and William Page Douglas, Sr. He attended elementary and high school in Berkeley, before attending the University of California at Berkeley. As a youth he was actively involved in Boy Scouts and as he young man he learned to play the violin very well. The Great Depression started when he was about 10 years old. About the time he was completing college the U.S. was attacked at Pearl Harbor, marking the beginning of the U.S. involvement in WWII. Page enlisted in the U.S. Army and spent a portion of the war in the Philippines. (type of unit and period of involvement.) During the war, Page married Alice Virginia Beedle, known to her family as Gin. After the war ended, Page started a career in the food brokerage industry, working for the Beechnut Baby Food Company and later Kelley-Clarke Inc. as a sales manager and he and Gin lived in at least two locations in El Cerrito, California, a city just north of Berkeley.
During this period, Page remained in the U.S. Army Reserves and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel at his retirement. The Reserves require two weeks of active duty each year, and the food brokerage industry only provided two weeks of paid vacation so during his 20-year commitment to the reserves Page essentially had no vacations. As I recall, many of his reserve active-duty assignments were at Camp Roberts, California, and we heard many interesting accounts of his experiences there.
Gin and Page had four children, and the Douglas family was a part of the larger six-family unit that shared numerous holidays, trips, camping adventures, birthdays, spur of the moment picnics and the other events that are so significant to an extended family.
Page was a very robust, active individual with many interests and a brilliant mind. He was very proud of his Scottish heritage and filled in members of his family and extended family on Scottish lore. He had a fondness for Studebaker automobiles, owning at least three as I recall, two being the Silver Hawk and Golden Hawk models. Page was also an accomplished collector of coins and stamps and together over their lifetimes, Gin and Page acquired a fine collection of jewelry, art and blankets create by Native Americans of the Southwestern United States. He was a student of history throughout his life and was conversant on a broad range of subjects. Of particular interest to Page was the art and science of investing. Page was very disciplined in all endeavors, but particularly in this arena and he shared his knowledge of financial planning with many family members and friends to assist others in taking the steps necessary to ensure a sound financial future. Many friends and family members sought his advice in these matters.
After his retirement from Kelley-Clarke Inc., Page and Gin moved from El Cerrito, California to Lake Oswego Oregon, where they had constructed a large, comfortable log cabin structure on property inherited from his Aunt Jean. Page became very active in the local Lions Club as well as the local seniors’ center where he donated a great deal of time to the driving detail, chauffeuring seniors to and from doctor’s appointments, shopping trips and other needs. Page kept a VW bus for this purpose and as he continued doing this later in his life, we found it a bit humorous that he was frequently doing this for folks who were quite a bit younger than he was. Page was very fit all of his life, as was his brother-in-law, Roger Hildebrand. As a result, I could brag about my two uncles’ athletic prowess later in life when they injured themselves in their 80’s when most others were much less mobile. Roger was struck by a car while jogging and Page was 15 feet up a tree pruning limbs with a chain saw when things went awry, and he fell and broke his hip. Luckily both healed and continued with their productive lives.
In retirement, Page enjoyed attending local Highland Games and also travelling to Scotland to watch and support his grandson’s participation in Scottish Pipe Band competitions.
Page was an excellent, at ease public speaker who always had an apt quote, joke, saying or poem suitable for any occasion. One of his favorite jokes when asked about end-of-life issues was this:
“When I die, I hope I go peacefully in my sleep, not like the three other screaming passengers in my car.”
Page passed away 3/17/2012, not while driving a vehicle, and is buried at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon.
Gin passed away 9/2/2003 and is buried beside him and their gravestone reads:
“They Lived Life Well.”