Michael Baird (1951-) Son of Roland Baird who is the son of Charlotte Alvina Keller who is the daughter of Anna Christena Larsen and James M. Keller

THE LEGENDS OF MICHAEL D.(Douglas) BAIRD
1951-

How Mike Got His Name

Since I was 10, and the present baby of the family, Mom and Dad discussed it and decided they should have more children to raise since we would all soon be up and gone and Mom said, "There just isn't any reason to stay married if we're not raising children." Soooo. When Mother was expecting Mike, Art was 15, Bruce was 13 and I was 10. We were old enough to be consulted in such matters as the naming of this baby. We all made suggestions. Everyone but me loved "Douglas" (there was a nice boy in my class named Douglas, but his ears stuck out). "Keith" was pretty popular. Mother thought maybe she should name him for Richard R. Lyman, her apostle uncle, but Aunt Myrl had already stolen that thunder and Dad kinda drug his feet on that one. Then someone suggested "Michael."

Douglas sounded great with it. Mom said while he was little, we could call him Mickey and we all thought that was adorable. Yet, when he came home, we all called him "Mikey" for years. He just wasn't a Mickey. That was okay. Rick gave us the "icky" syllables we were looking for. And that is how Mike got his name.

Why Mike's Birthday is sometimes on Father's Day

Grandma Baird wanted to have Mike on Father's Day. (Do you remember) That was on Sunday, the 17th. The doctor gave her some medication to start things going on Saturday since Mike was about due. Then Dad and the boys (Art and Bruce) went off doing the Saturday things with Dad as they so often did, leaving me home alone with Mom. The medicine worked great. She went into hard labor in no time! It was a hours until the guys came home. Michael wasn't born right then and there only because he was turned the wrong way. Dad took her to Dee Hospital in Ogden where she went through an awful night, but unable to deliver. Finally, on Sunday morning, the doctor decided to try to turn him manually inside the birth canal (I'm sure that was fun for Mom) before going to a C-section (rare in those days). That did the trick, and Mikey came into the world after a rough birth. He was happy and cute though, just like he is today. So that is why Mike's birthday is sometimes on Father's Day.

Why Mike Is So Sweet

The Dee Hospital played another part in Mike's life as he, with a lot of other babies in that hospital, got a form of dysentery during his birth stay. Mom couldn't get it to clear up. When he was four months old he was rushed back to the Dee and he nearly died with dehydration and fever. They had to make an incision in his ankle to even administer the IV he was so tiny. Mom was so sure we would lose him he was that low, that when they came back from the hospital Art was washing diapers in the Twin-tub Dexter, and she told him to take them out back and burn them. He didn't. Dad said he reached under the oxygen tent and squeezed his foot a little to see if he was alive. Mike barely twitched the third and fourth fingers on his left hand (his favorite sucking fingers after that) his only sign of life. When he finally recovered and came home, Mike had to have such a special diet with no real sugar, only malto-dextrin for about a year. It tastes very sweet and that is why Mike is so very sweet to this day.

I testify these things are true, and I should know because I was there. Mike's true and loving BIG sister, Charlotte June Baird June 17, 2010 Hollywood, California, USA

[Note from Shelley: Thanks for allowing me to post this.]