From the echoes of the past, I hear the words “I love the smell of sawdust in the morning” humming in my ears.  I hear these words from a man I have only observed in an old wrinkled black-and-white photograph.  Yet, the man in the photograph, my great grandfather, James Dunlap, is brought to life by my 92 year young grandfather, Claude Dunlap, both lifelong residents of South Bend, Indiana.

Not long ago, Claude Dunlap traveled to Peoria, Illinois to experience again the “smell of sawdust in the morning” as he helped trim the inside of a wonderful new home.  At the side of his son, Spence Dunlap, his aged eyes twinkled and he was youthful, full of life, and expressed through his large wrinkled hands the craftsmanship of his younger years.   

On that day, and to make family history, four generations of builders were on-the-job:  James Dunlap, Claude Dunlap, Spence Dunlap, and Dan Dunlap.  James Dunlap, having long since passed, was with us in that old black-and-white framed photograph.  By days end, the picture frame was covered in sawdust.  It had to be the happiest picture I have ever dusted. 

Claude Dunlap ran C. Dunlap Construction Company located on Locust Road in South Bend for many years.  His workshop, still on Locust Road, will never release the memories of the days of great craftsmanship. 

My name is Dan Dunlap and I am the 4^th generation builder working with Preferred Homes Inc. in Metamora, Illinois. My dedication to my craft is as strong as the days when my great grandfather would take wax out of his wood hammer handle to ease the turning of a screw. 

Many tools have changed since my great grandfather and grandfather were in construction.  Technology transforms so fast tools have even changed since I have been in home building.  Some things never change.  Pride, integrity, and craftsmanship are qualities I inherited from a great group of South Bend men. 

As I travel down Locust Road and the memories it holds for our family, I am filled with pride that the foundation of my career in home building was created in South Bend by my great grandfather, grandfather, and father.