Oh gosh . . . what was it, about three weeks ago Lake Orion resident Bill Kalmar got a message to me. In short it said, “Thanks Don for the good news column. I have been meaning to write something for your newspaper, but quite frankly, there’s not much good to write about these days.”
I am pretty sure I thanked Bill, but for the life of me I cannot remember what chapter in the sacred text commonly known as Don’t Rush Me, the column he was referring to. I write them to forget them — writing this column is sorta’ like therapy for me. I just spill what’s on my mind without having to pay someone to have me lay on their couch to hear me.
(Have I ever told you guys, I’m the cheapest dude in town?)
Stay on point, Rush . . . so Bill said thanks for the good news story and I liking “thank yous” more than the “Rush, you sucks” feedback, reckoned I’d share some more good news.

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HI Don! Thought I would share this experience and see if you wouldn’t mind putting it in the appropriate section (of the newspaper)
I would like to shout out a huge THANK YOU to Clarkston Schools bus drivers!!
Let me explain. I got a call this afternoon from the Clarkston Community Schools Transportation department. Seems one of the bus drivers radioed the main base and asked someone call me and tell me that my dog was a mile and a half from my house.
How cool is that?
The driver not only knows the stops and the kids but the pets, too. Then to take the time and ask others to go through the effort to look up my phone number and call me? Wow! I’m so thankful there are truly generous thoughtful people in this world.

Good news for me, it wasn’t my dog out exploring, just one that looked like him. Now I wonder if the other dog made it home. I did go look for it but didn’t find it. (There are not many Blue Great Danes in the area and I was hoping to get my pup a play date!) Thanks again to the Thoughtful bus driver. — Carl Bidinger

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Don, I read your column about the unknown child in Lakeview Cemetery.
A few thoughts:
Hand dig the spot where the bones were found to see if there area any more bones, clothing, shoe leather, wood from the old casket or wood from an old headstone? Go through the county death records / cemetery records to inventory all of the children interred that match the description.
Physically inspect each grave site matching the description of the deceased to see if there is a later burial next to it, possibly encroaching on it. Use ground penetrating radar to see if the child’s grave was off center and the newer grave dug into the existing burial site.
The bones could have been scooped up when the next internment was being prepared. This should reduce the number of possibilities for identification.
Analyze the DNA and look up to see if there are any relatives in the area. Back when the child was buried, this was a small town and a lot of families were interrelated after a few generations. You could start a Clarkston “DNA” party for the decedents of the old families to see if there are any matches. Going through the matching families genealogical records may produce a name.
This could be a big break.
There may be old obituaries for children of that age group that don’t show up in the cemetery records.
Cross referencing the obits to the known and located interred should eliminate some possibilities. There may be additional burials next to the site where the bones were found, if so, possible relatives.
Was there ever a pauper’s section?
Reburials from the old farm sites ? Unknown deceased from some catastrophe that were never identified? Take your time, I’m in no “rush” for answers. — Steve D.

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Thanks, Steve . . . but I don’t know. Seems like a lot of work for just one newspaper dude! I shall pass this on to the authorities!

  bus drivers, dogs, don rush, don’t rush me, mystery bones