This is where you go to find out more than you really want to know about the Drouillard family. This is where we put the pictures of our kids for all to see - even though nobody really wants to see family pictures except the relatives (and sometimes not even them).
As an added attraction, we are including a photo album of even more kids, and other pictures taken at the various family functions. The album will grow as I get around to scanning the pictures and uploading them.
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Way back in the 1950s, Chuck Drouillard and Kay Kelly started dating.
Chuck was the youngest of a farming family, and was a bit rough around the edges. It is reputed that he could cuss a solid half hour without repeating himself. He is an excellent mechanic, handyman, and fabricator. You can generally tell how well the project is progressing by the level of noise. He doesn't sling profanity in general conversation the way that some do, but he does tend to spice things up with his colorful sayings.
Kay wouldn't say $%^& if she had a mouth full (according to Chuck). She also comes from a farming family, but grew up to be a lady who would never consider doing or saying anything that lacks class.
This odd couple became known as "Goody Two-shoes and the Filthy Beast".
These two high school sweethearts somehow managed to tolerate each other and, in fact, complimented each other very well. They were wed at the tender age of 19.
Then, on March first, 1961, their lives changed forever. On that date, just a few minutes after her twentieth birth, Kay gave birth to Raymond Charles Drouillard - an interesting cross between Goody Two-shoes and the Filthy Beast. Those who have come to know this character and his parents have no doubt that personality traits are, in fact, inherited.
The young Mr. Drouillard was fond of taking things apart and plugging things in. He was fascinated by any gadget or doohickey that he managed to find.
Then, he was captured by aliens... I mean, he was sent to Kindergarten. According to his mother, he spent most of his kindergarten year staring out the window. He does have recollections of actually learning things, like his ABCs and how to spell "Wagon".
After serving a term in Kindergarten, the prisoner was transferred to Saint Steven's Catholic school. He was somewhat confused by the whole proceedings. He distinctly remembers sitting in the principal's office and being accused of bringing a "bb" to school. This was confusing because he had no idea why a little ball of metal should be a problem. Was it explosive. The principle then proceeded to ask him how many little holes were in the drop ceiling. He must have spent his time counting them, after all.
So... after hearing from the principal that young Ray had a learning disability and wouldn't amount to much, his parents opted to send him to public school. This could have been just as bad, if it had not been for a few good teachers and councilors.
Soon after entering the public school system, Ray started going through the 500-599 (science) section of the school library. This proves without a doubt that geeks are born - not made.
At the same time, his fellow students found that physically and emotionally abusing this young man was not only fun, but was the "cool" thing to do. This nonsense went on for many years, but it got much better once Ray's father convinced him to reject the school's "two wrongs don't make a right" propaganda and defend himself. This is where Ray determined that pacifism is painful and counterproductive. Instead, he drew from the wisdom of Kings David and Solomon and found that the best way to stay out of a fight is to be willing to defend yourself.
Back in the second grade, while attending Saint Steven's Catholic school, Ray received the sacrament of first communion. He took the entire proceedings quite seriously, and remembers sitting quietly after confession and wondering why the other kids were goofing around right after being cleansed of sin. Isn't that sort of like jumping into a mud puddle right after leaving the bathtub?
Later, in Hannan Road Elementary school, Ray spent some time after school watching Mrs. Goodith tell stories with the felt gram. One time, he felt called to go with a group of other kids and say a special prayer.
Some time after that, he forgot all about God and followed the lead of some of the authors that he liked. He had long ago found that Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and all of those other myths that he used to believe were false. He followed up by concluding that the writings in the Bible were yet another myth. There is no clear recollection of exactly when and why this happened.
In the mean time, he avidly devoured the entire 500-599 section of the Junior High School's library.
After picking those shelves clean of all books that interested him, he moved to the science fiction section.
He had always been a dreamer (daydreamer, some would say), and the books he read did nothing but encourage that.
He had difficulty focusing on mundane work in school. All through his period of captivity in the institutionalized school system, he was told that he would do brilliantly if he would only apply himself. He was told that he was smart, but had no common sense. He started to conclude that he was lazy.
Meanwhile, he applied himself to his independent studies. The school may have managed to squash his love for learning in some subjects, but he kept his hunger to learn science.
At the same time, his heart became harder and harder, and his self-imposed shell became thicker and thicker. By the time he had entered high school, he had become an accurate copy of Mr. Spock - except that his all too human emotions and pain were boiling under the surface. The constant taunting and alienation by his peers, combined with his refusal to acknowledge or connect with God had done their work. Even though he lived with a loving family in a functional household, he was desperately lonely and felt out of place. He yearned for a place where he could belong.
Mary Drouillard (Mary Kathryn Ryan)