My friends John Ashbaugh and Erik Brun were the impetus for a series of events marking the eightieth anniversary of World War II last year. The pace will quicken this year with the eightieth anniversary this year of 1944. I thought I should at least begin to find some people who either lived in the area or who settled here after the war to learn about their links to their eventful year. The images below are just a beginning. There must be families out there who have stories to share about parents or grandparents—or great-grandparents—for whom 1944 was a watershed. Here are some stories either from my books, my blog or from back issues of the San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune, thankfully, now digitized.