RIP: Mike Dougherty
A self-proclaimed fishin' idiot, Mike "Doc" Dougherty led his son Michael's den of Cubs through the ranks from 2011-2015 (if I remember correctly). Always a great presence at Pack events, you can find him in the middle of many an action shot from that timeframe. My son Logan wasn't even in his den, but he says, "That guy was awesome."
Maker of bottle rockets
Mike isn't even in these pictures, but he made these memories happen. Back in those days, we didn't do paper rockets, we did bottle rockets made out of 2-liter soda bottles. The first step was
"the build," he'd show up every year with these teal blue tubs that were apparently of use somehow in nursing. He'd show kids how to cut them up to make the fins and nose cones. Then they'd tape them on with a slew of duct tape. Decorate a bit and head off to the launchpad. They'd fill the bottles part way with water, quickly turn them upside down onto the launcher. John Donovan or Chris Shelton would be there pumping an air pump all day and the kids would pull a rip cord. Blast off! A flying missile with pretty darn sharp triangular fins shot up a mile high with a stream of water pouring out behind it. Then the kids would run around trying to get underneath and catch them, sharp fins and all.
Maker of memories
It was Michael's den but Mike's other kids were always around as well. These photos tell it all.
One of the boys
In this blurry mess of a shot, you can see the joy of the relay races when adult leaders got in on the action. Mike is the one in uniform on the scooter. He definitely did not win this race.
But it wasn't for lack of trying.
