My father, Lauren Howard Rigg, was born in Leon, Kansas on July 1, 1909 to Lauren Dale Rigg and Leola Pearl Palmer Rigg. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Leon, with his beginnings in its Cradle Roll Department on December 1, 1909. He attended local area schools, graduating from Leon Rural High School on May 20, 1926 in a class of 14 students. After completing high school he became an apprenticed pharmacist on June 25, 1929, working in Arkansas City, Kansas and later, Coffeyville, Kansas. He attained his pharmacist license, after passing the required tests, on June 21, 1934. It is my understanding that he was one of, if not the last apprenticed pharmacist in the State of Kansas. After his licensure, pharmacists were required to attend college to be board certified. He was a very good chemist and sold the rights to his own patent of cough medicine to a drug company while he was a pharmacist in Hillsboro, Kansas. After a short stint of working at a pharmacy in Lawrence, Kansas, Lauren enlisted in the United States Navy on December 18, 1941. He served for 3 years 9 months and 5 days and was honorably discharged on October 5, 1945. He had served in the South Pacific and received, The Good Conduct Medal, for service above and beyond his required 2 years of service, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, the American Campaign Medal and 4 bronze stars. He married my mother, Victoria Madeline Bednarz, the daughter of John Bednarz and Agata Janusz Bednarz on June 11, 1945 in Newkirk, Oklahoma. They had met while he was in Motor Torpedo Boat Training in Rhode Island. To this marriage 4 children were born, James Lee Rigg, Lauren Dale Rigg, John Robert Rigg and Patricia Ann Rigg. John died the day after he was born. Lauren died on January 2, 1969 in El Dorado, Kansas and is buried at the Leon Cemetery. I've missed him every day that he has been gone. He was a wonderful father.