Don grew up in Stanford and reminisced about his childhood here on a recent visit back to his hometown.

He was the first baby born in what was then the new two-story hospital on Main Street. Growing up in Stanford, “I thought it was a big, booming metropolis!” Don said with a laugh. “But I am grateful for the good small-town experience.”

A career in the Air Force took him all over the world, and he now lives in Florida. He continues to travel and recently visited North Dakota so he could say he has officially seen all 50 states. “My daughter told me I could cross it off my bucket list,” he said. “I didn’t even realize I had a bucket list!”

Yet on a trip back to Stanford for a family member’s wedding, he was struck by an unexpected memory. His family booked a stay for him at Shelby Cottage, and as soon as he saw it, he knew it was familiar.

His grandmother was a former owner of the house, and he distinctly remembers a photo of him sitting on the hood of a car outside the cottage.

“I was pleased to see the way it was refinished but that they kept the original floors,” Don said. A walk down Main Street brought back memories of all the businesses that lined the street during his childhood, including Coleman’s! Don remembered when the Depot was an active train station, and he and his friends would watch the trains go by.

We are grateful to hear stories like Don’s as we work to preserve the history of Stanford through renovations and thoughtful business ventures.