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Frank Sinatra loved Doug's portrait of him so much that he asked permission to use it on his program cover for an upcoming tour.

This is my tribute to my first artist friend who began his art career as a child in a body cast and epitomized what it means to keep trying and never give up if you love art.

I met Doug three decades ago when I was a reporter. Later we teamed up to tell the story of Andrew's Raiders and the Great Locomotive Chase. I wrote and Doug illustrated.

Doug used his art and his love of Civil War history to find the gravesites and assure historical markers of these Ohio Union soldiers who stole a Confederate locomotive near Atlanta in an attempt to hasten the end of the war.

Doug is an example to all artists to pursue what you love and let no obstacle stop you.

As I was going through my files for this video, I found this "Don't Quit" poem in files Doug left me after his death that he considered his creed:

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit --
Rest if you must, but don't quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a person turns about
When they might have won had they stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow --
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup;
And he learned too late
when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out --
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit, --
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.
-- Author unknown

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https://www.rogersnell.com

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I’m the author of two books:
https://www.rogersnell.com/books

I am a member of Plein Air Artists of Central Kentucky and the Kentucky Appalachia Outdoor Painters.