Mothers warned, "Today don’t let Ted Dowdell get you in trouble."

Elyria, Ohio’s count grew by one on October 4, 1922 as John and Lillian Dowdell had Ted, the fourth of nine children to cope with, during the Great Depression,

Graduating Elyria High School in 1941, I gained employment at Timms Springs Company and spotted Bonnie Jean Schmitz there, only to be called to World War II for three and half years in the United State Coast Guard. Discharged after 1-½ years of seasickness aboard the 169 foot F.S. 177 plus Y.T. 59, in the Pacific Theater of War, my Bonnie and I were married and lost three children at birth.

Ted, Bob, Jim, and Kathy helped care for their mother after a disabling stroke in 1995 and we all cried "goodbye" when ALS took her from us on August 17, 1998.

Thus "Mission: Cure ALS" came about and mothers plead, "Today donate a penny a mile for every mile Ted and Greg suffer on Mission: Cure ALS."

Theodore P. Dowdell