Evening star., 1955-07-17
Falls Church Man Hunts
For Identity Of Porents

man who doesn't know his real
name or where he was born is
searching all Washington area
records he can find In the hope
of discovering his true identity.
Donald Iliff, IS, Of 1873 Cum
dry drive, Falls Church, was
reared In the Washington area.
went to school here and fought
with the Army in Korea. where
he was wounded. But he can't
get the job he now wants unless
he produces better evidence Of
his name and place of birth.
Reared Four Foster Children
Donald's foster mother Is Mrs.
Augusta Iliff, an energetic 68-
year -old woman who has run a
nursing home in Dunn Loring,
Va, for the last % years. Child
less herself and q widow for "a
years, Mrs. Iliff brought up four
foster children as her own with
|out ever legally adopting any of
them. Donald is the youngest.
|She has had him since he was 2
years old.
Although Donald learned when
|he was 10 years old that Mrs.
|Iliff was not his mother, MRS.
Tiff refused until several weeks
ago to tell him where she got
him. She knew SO painfully lit
tile herself that she wanted to
spare him the mystery.
In school. In the Army. In the
Dunn Loring Fire Department
where Donald is q second lieu
tenant, he always gave his place
|of birth and parents names as
unknown" He did the same
when he was married last April.
Foster Mothers Story
A few weeks ago, however. he
was offered a good job learning
|radar techniques at the Melpar
plant in Falls Church, which
handles military defense con-
tracts. The Melpar people told
him that the required FBI in
|vestigation would make It neces-
|sary for him to produce evidence
Of birthplace and his parents
names.
When he told Mrs. Iliff this,
she finally broke down and told
Donald what little she had ever
known. She said she had taken
him from q Beltsville MD
after seeing q story in
newspapers on December Z,
1880, explaining that two chill
dren there were available for
adoption"
She said that the nursery OPP
orator, a Mrs. Nellie Appleby.
now dead. had been able to tell
her only that the child was
named Donald Bowman. he was
born on october Is. 1928. and
he was taken to the home byl
his mother on April 16. 1929.
Mrs. Appleby said she had taken
the child in as q favor.
1929 Letter Produced
Then Mrs. Iliff produced this
letter written to Mrs. Appleby,
The only record she had toI
IDENTIFY Donald's mother:
washington. September 81
1929.
Dear Mrs. Appleby:
Enclosed find $40 for little
Donald's board and ! win have
to send you the other IS next
time as I have only rs cents
more to my name and ] simply
cannot send 1t when I do not
have it and I know little Donald
needs some new clothes.
''Will see what I can do till
the first Of month. Hope he is
well and will not say when ! viii
see him as I do not know. but r
love him as much as any mother,
but when ! cannot have him with
me ! feel better by not seeing
him as I just worry for q couple
of weeks after I see him.
Hope you and your family
are well, and may you be re-
warded for what you are doing
for m. and my little sweetheart
Donald"
Search Of Records Is Futile
The letter has q signature
which does not look like Bow
man. but more like Mrs. Frank
Rornan ROO Rhode Island ava