When I was a kid my parents decided to try our hand at investing in the stock market.  They bought small amounts of stock for each of us, listed under my parents’ names as custodians for us as minors, until we turned eighteen and could take it over for ourselves.  Because I seemed to be interested in chemistry, they bought me two shares of Dow Chemical for about $75 apiece.

During the late 60s I felt some shame at being a shareholder in the company that was manufacturing napalm, which was being dropped at an alarming rate over the innocent country of Cambodia, but for some reason I did not even mention this to my parents.

The issue remained fallow for decades until, about six years ago, we decided to try to reclaim the stock, which was still essentially in my mother’s name.  My mom good-naturedly filled out the transfer forms with her graceful cursive signature, and we duly submitted them.

We heard nothing about the transfer for six months, when I called the broker and asked what the matter was.  “Do you have the stock certificates?”

“What stock certificates?”

“The original certificates which specify the owner of the stock!”

“I think my mother still has them.  Can’t we do this without them?”

“That would be almost impossible!  Find those certificates!”

Next was this exchange with my mom:

“Mom, do you know where the Dow stock certificates are?”

“No, I thought I gave them to you.”

“When?”

“Well when I moved out of the old house.  I threw out boxes and boxes of papers, but I seem to remember seeing the certificates, and giving them to you.”

The next six years were a nightmare.  The brokers, who changed identity more than once, sent us new forms to fill out.  Our financial advisor assured us that this could be done easily without the certificates, but somehow it never got done by him or us.

To make matters worse, whenever we had any kind of spat, the subject of the “Dow stock” would come up.

“You said you would take care of the Dow stock!”

“No, YOU said you would take care of the Dow stock!”

“I made a folder for the Dow stock and put everything in it!”

“Well where is it then?”

“I don’t know, I thought you put it someplace safe…”

The reason I am writing about this now is that, just an hour ago, I went up to the attic to look for two things: an old pair of orthotic inserts for my shoes, and a very short story that I wrote in high school about my dad taking me to the dentist. (This story was a big hit, and got me into a writing course at Harvard taught by Kurt Vonnegut!  This then led to a thirty-year case of writer’s block…)

I found the orthotics, and then embarked on a half-hearted search for the story. (My dad used to say “Guys, don’t be half-hearted! Always try your very hardest!”)  I found a box full of miscellaneous stuff, including a copy of the Boston Globe from the day of David’s birth in 1989, when one folder caught my eye.  It was labeled with my dad’s characteristic angular handwriting in red Parker fountain pen ink, and said “The Dow Chemical Company. 2 shares. 76 1/2 each share. commission 6 & 00/100. total $159 & 00/100.”  After 2 shares, it said in blue fountain pen ink “+1+3= 6 shares”.  Then in my mother’s smaller handwriting it said “per share value $86.19 x 6 = 517.14.

With my hands shaking (figuratively) I opened the folder, and there I found an elaborately printed sheet of parchment with an ornate green border, dated NOV 20, 1989.  At the top was an engraved portrait of Herbert H. Dow posing next to a farmhouse, complete with a barn and a large farm family.  Immediately underneath this sheet were three yellow sheets of the same type, but engraved instead with the likeness of three half-naked Greek gods.  On the first one Herbert D. Dow was the president.  On the other two Herbert H. Dow was the secretary and C.B. Branch the president.  They were dated May 9, 1973, August 6, 1971, and JAN 15 1965.  The last was the certificate I had received as an eleven year-old for $159.

Along with the certificates came more buried treasure– messages from my dad to himself about the stock, all written in red ink on the front of the respective envelopes:

“VERY IMPORTANT.  Share certificate of the Dow Chemical Company.  August 9 (Mon.), ’71 Rec’d.”

“***Edward now hold 3 SHARES! VERY IMPORTANT.  Tell Edward and Mom!”

“***Very very important. Edward now has 6 shares.”

“Edward now has 1 share more. + $17 & 91/100 –> Deposited with New Haven Savings Bank on Aug.5 (Thurs.), 1976.  July 27, 1976 Rec’d”

Tears come to my eyes as I write this.  While I was in prep school, college, and medical school my dad and mom were  indeed the custodians of this stock, which has grown (and inflated) steadily under their watchful eye, keeping track of all transactions, even to the day of the week.  Now we will be able to use this money, not a large amount by today’s standards but not negligible either.

After this long struggle the money does seem inconsequential compared to a more important message.  I have been loved and cared for by my parents for over sixty-one years, and I know that that love and care will go on, even beyond ” ’til death do us part”, because it will live on in the love and care that we bestow on our own kids and their growing families.