My father, Dr. Dan Secord, had many qualities: dynamic, passionate, brilliant and opinionated but empathetic. He was a connector of people. He loved helping others and being asked to solve problems. His personality was so unique — not just how clever and bright he was intellectually, but also his tone and style. He was decisive, sincere, with a dark wit and gracious generosity of spirit. He made me proud to be his daughter.
My dad had an air about him: a confidence, a bit of swagger that comes with being self-possessed and multi-talented. He courageously forged a path for himself and for the people whose lives he touched, delighting in conversation about his passions: medicine, bicycles, politics, motorcycles, cooking, sailing, flying, coffee, golden retrievers, and people. He loved engaging with the social aspects of all of those passions and especially enjoyed being a part of the communities that sprang from each. These groups are where he built such a strong family of friends.
Dan was born in a Salvation Army orphanage in 1936, in Kansas City, MO. His birth mother, Shirley Carter, was unwed, and his biological father, Orville Peatmeyer, was a married man, who may never have known he existed. He was adopted after nine months in the orphanage by Earl Secord, a Methodist minister, and his wife, Abbey Secord. Growing up, he felt out of place, misunderstood, and struggled in school. He was a self-described “juvenile delinquent” who ran away from home at the age of 15.