Ralph, My Dad's Special Name Sake


The June Solstice was no ordinary day in the life of Ruth and Owen Poulsen because this was the day their first child of ten arrived, on Friday, June 21, 1940, in the rural town of Logan, Utah. The child was a son and he was my dad. 

My grandpa Owen named my dad in honor of a man named Ralph who gave him a break when life was harder than normal and was an epic event in history. Now, grandpa Owen lived during the Great Depression, when times were tough and jobs were scarce. Grandpa Owen must've been a good guy because the grace of God was shining on him during the depression when a man named Ralph Falkner gave him a job at his gas station. Grandpa Owen was so grateful for this opportunity during hard times that later in life when his first son arrived he named him after this man. 

My dad was so impressed by the story of how he got his name that later in his life, my dad tried to locate this man he was named after by going to the location of the gas station to try and find and meet him. To his great dismay, upon locating the gas station, he found a new owner was running it and he never did get the opportunity to meet his names sake. 

My dad's middle name was his mom's maiden name, Merrell, you know, like the outdoor shoe company, no relation, but still cool. 

A few months before my dad passed away, I had asked him about how he got his name. He had told me the story above, but for some darn reason I forgot it. I had written the story on a sticky note so I wouldn't forget it, but as time went by that sticky note mysteriously disappeared and I never could find it nor could I remember the dog gone story. So, finally, with a saddened heart I asked my mom in hopes she would remember the story and to my great fortune she remembered and told me the story so I could retell it here. 

The picture above is of my Grandpa Owen with my dad Ralph. It was taken from a scrapbook page I completed, of my dad. 

On This Date
United States President: Franklin D. Roosevelt
Generation: Silent Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Dragon
Star Sign: Cancer


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