[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 67 (Wednesday, April 25, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S2431]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO DWAIN ``DOC'' PRESTON

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, in honor of April being National Poetry 
Month, I want to take a few moments to recognize an extraordinary 
teacher, poet, and Quincy, IL, legend, Dwain ``Doc'' Preston.
  In the winter of 1936, Doc was born on a farm near Barry, IL. The son 
of a World War II tank crewman and a tough as nails mother who grew up 
in Oklahoma surviving the Dust Bowl, Doc attended four different one-
room schoolhouses, including Berrian Elementary School in Quincy. After 
graduating from Liberty High School, he enrolled at Western Illinois 
University. That was the decision that he said ``took me out of the 
cornfield.''
  Doc joined the Air Force, attending Chinese language school, spending 
6 hours a day for 8 months, studying at Yale University. To this day, 
much of his work in the Air Force remains classified. After his 
service, Doc returned to Quincy and was introduced to Regina Higgins by 
a friend Jay Lenne at Park Bowl, a bowling alley at the corner of 12th 
and Harrison. They fell in love, got married, and started their family. 
They had the first of four daughters in 1963, the second in 1964, the 
third in 1965, and lastly, the fourth, in--you guessed it--1966.
  Doc followed in his uncle's footsteps--a teacher of 55 years--and 
accepted a position at Quincy Junior High School after two of his 
former teachers vouched for him. Six years later, Doc used his G.I. 
bill to work toward his doctorate at the University of Illinois in 
Champaign. While working on his dissertation, he taught at Western 
Illinois University and officially became ``Doc'' Preston. He then did 
the unexpected and tried his hand at selling insurance, but Doc had 
teaching in his blood and returned to the classroom after just 1 year. 
For the next 26 years, Doc Preston could be found in the classroom, 
teaching writing, speech, and English at Quincy Notre Dame, where each 
of his daughters would attend high school. He also supervised the QND 
student council, teaching leadership skills and important life lessons 
that aren't normally found in high school textbooks. Even after his 
official retirement, Doc continued teaching creative writing to seniors 
and others.
  Throughout the years, Doc has stayed in touch with many of his 
students. They will send him notes using words like icon, terrific, 
great, awesome, amazing, special--to describe him as a teacher or 
writer, but mostly as a man. When hearing these compliments, he 
responds in his humble simple way: ``That's always fun.'' They just 
don't make them like Doc Preston anymore.
  Doc and his wife, Regina, spent 44 years, or as Doc put it, ``over 
16,000 days'' together before Regina passed away in 2006, just 4 weeks 
following Doc's retirement. In his beautiful poem titled, To Regina, he 
writes:

     For over 16,000 days
     You were part of me.
     Now only memories are left
     Of days that used to be.

     But Ah! What memories they are!
     The Buoy of my very life,
     Which would have been of little worth
     Had you not been my wife.

  His words are haunting as he takes us on an emotional ride that both 
breaks the heart and allows us to celebrate the blessings that are 
memories.
  Doc Preston didn't write to publish or make money. He wrote because 
he loved it and his audience, consisting largely of his family, loved 
it. When each of his four daughters were married, Doc wrote them a 
sonnet. When each of his 11 grandchildren turned 13, he wrote what 
could be called a ``goodbye to their youth'' poem. When they were 
younger, Doc wrote each of them a book. All told, Doc estimates he has 
written about 150 books. On his 80th birthday, Doc's children compiled 
and presented him with a book of his poem's that he dedicated to 
Regina.
  Despite being a brilliant writer and teacher, Doc's proudest 
accomplishment is his family. In an interview last year, he said, ``One 
of the things that is joyful about being a parent is watching them grow 
up and succeed.'' His children certainly did. Two even went into the 
family business and became teachers. Doc loved parenting, but he once 
said, ``Grandparenting is better.'' I couldn't agree more.
  When looking for heaven, many look toward the sky--not Doc Preston. 
Doc and Regina, looked along the river bluffs of the Mississippi River 
and built heaven in Quincy, IL. Whether it was with Doc's wife, Regina, 
four daughters--Carolyn, Cheri, Debbie, Teresa--11 grandchildren, or 
countless student, his life, love, and poetry have touched so many 
lives, including my own.
  I want to thank Doc Preston for his dedication to teaching and his 
generosity to the wonderful people of Quincy. They call Quincy ``Gem 
City.'' Well, there is no gem shining brighter than Dwain ``Doc'' 
Preston.
  Thank you, Doc, for sharing your gift with us all.
  I would like to share the final lines of Doc's poem, Southern 
Memories.

     Oh, yes, I'll savor snapshots,
     To be sure,
     But what I'll treasure most
     Are all the memories I made with you.

  Doc's right. I would like to tell him that what will be treasured 
most by those who know Doc, ``Are all the memories [we] made with 
you.''

                          ____________________