It’s mid June, the season to celebrate graduations. The book’s title— Into Life’s School—is taken from the motto for Cliff Digre’s 1941 Hendricks, MN, high school graduation class. That motto was, “Out of school life; into life’s school.” Cliff writes in the book’s preface, “The reason I chose this title was that I found out that most of the real lessons learned in life are not just from school and formal education but from life itself and the people you meet, the experiences you have, and the relationships you form—Life’s School.”
June 6, 2009, is the 65th anniversary of D-Day. That is the day in 1944 when the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, occurred. An air assault by American, British, and Canadian airborne troops landed shortly after midnight and more than 5,000 ships delivered Allied infantry and armored divisions along a 50-mile stretch of coastline at 6:30 that morning.
What was Cliff Digre doing on June 6, 1944? On page 43, Cliff recounts that he and the other members of his B-17 crew had just been selected by pilot William T. “Robbie” Robertson. They were training at McDill Airfield near Tampa, FL. On page 48, Cliff writes, “We knew from the very first day we were going to have intense training—six days a week for twelve weeks—a portion of each day flying and a portion in ground school. Each day was something new to give all ten of us the training we would need for the real thing—combat….Much of our ground school was spent on aircraft recognition. It was imperative that we would be able to to instantly identify all aircraft—both friendly and enemy.”
Many people request when they order a book that Cliff sign the book. His intention is to sign each book—paperback and hardcover—sitting uncharacteristically still for quite a while until a pile of books bears the autograph of Cliff “CB” Digre. Of course, when you read the book, you will discover Cliff’s childhood nickname, used by longtime chums from Hendricks, MN, when they order their books or send a note. Cliff is delighted to hear from friends, family, crew members, and their families! Please continue to write. Cliff thanks you.
The family and friends who helped Cliff with his book have a new take on the ancient African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” The Norwegian, book-related interpretation is, “It takes a team to produce a book!”
While gathered for a party to celebrate the college graduation of Cliff’s second-oldest granddaughter, the team who helped Cliff with typing, research, editing, proofreading, photography, scanning photos and images, design, layout, coordination with the printer, inventory and distribution, web site development, and marketing, assembled for a photo of themselves. Cliff’s wife of 62 years, Bernice, is standing behind Cliff.
The “Into Life’s School” book team.
Hendricks | Sue | 
June 14, 2009 11:55 am | 
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