Tell us your Doug Story.
Every great life is remembered through the stories people tell. Doug loved a good story—especially one told accurately, with all the relevant facts entered into evidence.
Whether you knew him for decades or met him only once, we'd love to hear how he touched your life. Every memory, funny moment, life lesson, or photograph helps preserve the story of an extraordinary man.
You can leave your story on his cell phone at 714-267-5302, and Laura will play it for him when she visits him at Pacific View, or you can send it to Laura via the form below, and we will post it here, on Doug’s digital home.
Thank you for helping keep Doug's story alive for generations to come.
“no gimmies”, from David Boras
Doug was an avid Golfer and loved to play whenever he could. Lately we would play at the Navy Course made famous by Tiger Woods in Los Alamitos, CA. The foursome was usually Doug, Don Wiley, Mike Marcucci, sometimes Brian Connors and myself. It was a friendly game if there is such a thing in golf. But we all are competitive. Doug was the best putter of us all. He used an Acushnet Bullseye putter made famous by Cory Pavin some 30 years ago and Doug still used it. As Doug would share: "it wasn't the putter that was malfunctioning it was the puttee using it." Doug developed a name for his putting stroke calling it the Patent Pending, Programmable, pneumatic Push Putt and it worked. Boy did it work. The rest of us depended on gimmies (short putts given rather than putted out) to get a decent score. Doug would have no part in that. If the pros putted every shot then we should as well. Those are the rules of golf and Doug abided by them. For him, Golf, as in life, there are no gimmies. You must complete every stroke for an honest score. Amen Brother.
From Diana Cuomo
Doug was a fixture at every Easter, every Thanksgiving, sometimes even around Christmas as well as lots of other times. He was part of our family. My father, Dr. Anthony Cuomo, met Doug early on in Doug's legal career, and Doug, at a fairly young age, became my father's medical practice attorney. I will always remember him as kind, intelligent, a great surfer, a people person, interested in lots of things and loving life. He lived his life to the fullest, was a thinker, and loved people and in that way he was my father's twin. He will never be forgotten and always missed.
from Wendy Leavell
Very sad to hear this news. Doug served on the Board at Ocean Institute and was absolutely wonderful about sharing his passion for OI, the ocean, and our work with his clients, colleagues, and friends.
As much as Doug had a passion for the ocean, I believe the ocean had an equal amount of passion for him! Every time he brought a group for his annual whale watching trip and Ocean Institute tour, Mother Nature absolutely put on a show. Without exaggeration, some of the very best cruises we ever experienced were with Doug and his groups. AI couldn't invent the kinds of scenes we enjoyed with him on the vessel as our good-luck charm.
Doug also set a phenomenal example for our other Board members in how to support the Institute in harmony with his own passions and his work. Everything felt natural. He was always incredibly kind and gracious to our staff and, with his laid-back, calm, and positive demeanor, somehow felt like a longtime friend from the very start.
I am hopeful that Doug is enjoying some heavenly surf and can feel the waves of admiration that will continue to ripple through Ocean Institute for years to come. The support he inspired and garnered helped us through some of our toughest times, and his impact here is lasting.
Laura, I am so very sorry. I cannot imagine how you must be feeling, but please know that you will always be part of the OI family. We will continue to do right by Doug by being the very best we can be in our work and continuing the work he believed in so deeply.
And whenever you are ready, you are always welcome to come to OI—whether to walk the campus or simply sit for a while and observe all the joy, memories, discoveries, and life-changing moments that Doug's efforts helped create. His memory truly does live on through those moments, and I hope that when you are here, you will feel his presence, too. But right now, we are all simply feeling his absence, and we are so very sad.
“St. Lawrence University”, from David Boras
Doug and I met freshman year at St. Lawrence in September 1969. He was on our dorm hall (Sykes) same floor. A bunch of characters we were. All out to make a name for ourselves. There was Jungle, my roommate, half druggie half tight end. There was Blob and Peetie Boy. Both joined the ATO fraternity made famous in Animal House. There was Murph the surf- long blond haired surfer from Florida, Lee, Doug's roommate and me. We orchestrated food fights in the mess hall dressing up like a biker gang. We would spend long hours at the Hoot Owl Express water hole instead of studying. Except Doug. He was so smart he didn't have to study like the rest of us. He was our valedictorian. We pledged Sigma Chi Fraternity together our sophomore year and spent the next 3 years at the fraternity house entertaining sorority sisters with our derby day games, beer pong, dance offs, extreme intellect, and our good looks.
We graduated in 1973 and lost tract of each other for 5 years. I worked in Buffalo for 3 years then went to USC for 2 years for my MBA. Doug went to Stanford for his JD/ MBA and started practicing estate tax law.
From Shayna Hsu
I’ve known Doug for years, surfing together. He was always so patient, waiting for the right wave to come to him. I miss seeing you in the water and sharing great memories catching waves and getting great eats with our surf friends.
“Cassidy's Pub in Manhattan Beach, Ca.”, from David Boras
I left off my previous story where Doug went to Stanford after graduating St. Lawrence and I went to USC. We didn't keep in contact. As providence would have it, we both met again at Cassidy's Pub in Manhattan Beach Ca. in 1978 and began a friendship that has lasted another 48 years in California. We golfed in Santa Barbara at Sand Piper with Don Wiley, Doug's high school buddy. We hiked in Yosemite. Went to the horse races in Del Mar. We went to Palm Springs, stayed at Howard's house, for golf at Mesquite CC or Indian Wells, fine dining at Los Consuelo's or the Matchbox , dancing at Costa's in the Marriott or the Village Pub downtown or the Nest in search of Mrs. Right. The 3 of us- Don, Doug and I were inseparable. The 3 musketeers. Our friends added to the group of friends that have now become family.