D. C. Donahue Books

Be thankful, be grateful, be patient, be charitable, be kind, and don’t forget to smile, as it is infectious. God Bless America and our Military!

My middle name is actually my confirmation name – Charles

I remember exploring various names and reflecting on how they would sound when spoken aloud. It was essential for me to choose a name that my siblings or many classmates at MBS—around 3,700 students—couldn’t use against me. Kids! After much consideration, I ultimately decided to adopt my godfather’s first name, Charles Tranberg. He never had children, and I liked the sound of the name as well as how it looked when abbreviated to its initials.

Initially, my father hoped I would take his name, Joseph, which I did seriously consider. However, my dad, brother, uncle, and our future brother-in-law were all named Joe. I pointed out that we already had four people with that name, and once I explained my reasons for choosing Charles, he understood and agreed with my decision.

On a more humorous note, my wife and I named our eldest son after me. It really completely slipped my mind to let him know when he was old enough that his middle birth name was actually my confirmation name. He found this out a few years ago, on or around his 45th birthday. Ha! Ha! What a laugh we had. He said he told everyone for all those years that he knew that he was a Junior. I explained well, technically, he still is!

So, what’s your story?