Driftwood Poems and Reflections of a WWII Veteran and Lover of Poetry

Vernon O. Giffin was born March 13, 1915 in Brown, West Virginia, the only child of a coalmining family. In July of 1933 he (18 years old) ran away to Maryland with his bride Bernice Emily Cook (16 years old) because she was too young to marry him in West Virginia. He joined the Navy in 1943 and was stationed in Jacksonville, Florida for basic training. He served in the Panama Canal Zone until late 1945 as an aviation machinist's mate. Dad attended Potomac State College of West Virginia University, earned his A.B. from Fairmont State College, and his M.A. from West Virginia University. He did graduate work at George Washington University, University of Maryland, University of Delaware, and Salisbury State College, now Salisbury University, Salisbury, Md. He taught English and Speech at Ridgeley and Keyser High Schools in West Virginia. He taught Economics and Merchandising at Wicomico Senior High School in Salisbury, Maryland.He authored three folklore books during his retirement: The Witch of Hooker Hollow (1981), The Veil (1983), and The Wreath (1986). He had a story featured in the 1987 Summer issue of The Goldenseal, a West Virginia magazine. He enjoyed storytelling in the local schools and won an award posthumously from Chesapeake Community College for his contribution to Eastern Shore folklore. He died December 30, 1987 in Salisbury, Maryland