The DNA Detective: Finding Pauline's Father

Richard Hallick has been a member of Tucson Sunrise Rotary for 25 years, and served as Club President during the 2003-2004 Rotary year. He is a native of Southern California, and was educated at Palos Verdes High School, Pomona College (BA in Biochemistry) and the University of Wisconsin (PhD 1971 in Biochemistry). Following post-doctoral studies at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center, he served on the faculty of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Colorado in Boulder from 1973-1985, and then the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Arizona from 1985 until retirement in 2008, now holding the title of Professor Emeritus. The focus of a 38-year research and teaching career was DNA and RNA science.  Pairing a life-long interest in family history studies with DNA expertise, in recent years Richard has been doing “DNA detective” work, identifying unknown relatives using consumer DNA testing results.

Pauline Johnson was born in September 1943 in Pierre, South Dakota to 19 year-old Mildred Catherine Dirksen, and an unknown biological father. Pauline was raised by a maternal aunt, but remained in contact with her mother. Pauline married Larry Olson in 1962, and they had 4 daughters and a son. She lived her first 73 years without knowledge of her father’s family. The catalyst to actively look for her biological father came at Christmas 2018 when she received a consumer DNA test kit as a gift from her daughters, who wanted to know their own family history. When the DNA results arrived a few months later, she turned to me for help. Could I find her father? Yes, it took less than a day to identify him, and learn that he was deployed to serve in WWII in Europe in 1943 before Pauline was born. More research led to detailed information on his military service, and medals. In November of 2019 Pauline and some of her family attended a reunion with paternal first cousins and their families, and was united with the other half of her family heritage. In this talk, we will cover (1) How Pauline’s father was identified, (2) His distinguished military record, and ultimate fate, (3) What having a new family has meant to Pauline (hopefully in her own words).