My Dad the Army Baker

By the time of my childhood memories, my Dad was a baker and then a cook with the Army. That meant very large scale food preparation ... well, you could say, "enough for an Army"! We, his family, benefited from a lot of the leftover goodies he would bring us. Donuts were his favorite, and he often brought home yummy maple bars.

One of my Dad's favorite memories and stories to tell was the time he made a special big cake for the Secretary of the Army when the Secretary visited Fort Lewis. Here is a picture from that event. It was on May 21, 1956 - 51 years ago and a few years before I was born.

That's Wilber M. Brucker, U.S. Secretary of the Army, shaking my Dad's hand. Of course you can tell which one is my Dad by the cook's hat on his head. Too bad you can't see his face, but I know it had a big smile. He was very proud of that moment.