Donald Larose Childs

I will always remember Don and his wife Nina as the parents of one of my best friends, Tim, from my schools days. Don had a wonderful sense of humor, always seemed to have a smile on his face, and I was fortunate enough to take rides on his home built Steamboat, the Juno, [and his other boat] on the Grand River and up in Indian River. As neighborhood parents and members of the Lansing community, Don and Nina Childs were stellar examples for all. They are living in my permanent memory...

Don was a great instructor and inspiration when it came to teaching me to become a machinist. When working on parts for the 1225 in the Engineering Machine Shop, Don was not supposed to spend University time working on the engine, but got permission for students to come in to work on parts and use machine tools to do the work. In actuality, Don spent a lot of time setting up lathes, and other machines then having us run them after having taught us how to do that. There were times when I...