Elijah Devon Douglas, 12: Wanted to be a paleontologist

Elijah Douglas was fascinated by science and anything that dealt with nature.

His first love was dinosaurs. When he grew older, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and National Geographic became his favorite shows.

"He'd be out in the yard and bring in different rocks," said his father, Devon Douglas of Canton. "He'd be able to tell you what they were and where they came from. He was a straight-A science student."

When asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, his answer often stumped adults. "Lijie," as he was called by family, wanted to study paleontology.

Elijah Devon Douglas died Friday, the victim of an accidental gunshot wound. He was 12. A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Parrott Funeral Home in Fairburn, which is in charge of arrangements.

Born in Leesburg, Va., Elijah and his mother moved to metro Atlanta five years ago to be near relatives. The sixth-grader at Fairburn's Renaissance Middle School played trombone and was an A-B honor student.

In school, Douglas got along with practically everybody and displayed a caring attitude. It wasn't unusual for him to share his lunch, loan students money to buy food or give away a favorite toy.

"There was a little kid at his school who was disabled and looked different," said his mother, April Griggs-Tatum of Fairburn. "Elijah would go up to him and put his arm around him and give him a high-five. You hear parents talk about how great their child is. Well, I can't explain how great my son was. He was concerned about everybody, even strangers."

Elijah enjoyed the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, notably its permanent Giants of the Mesozoic exhibit. Ditto for Cartersville's Tellus Science Museum, which has a mineral gallery, planetarium and fossil gallery with more than 40 prehistoric animals.

"He would look at an animal and think about their makeup and insides, and how they survived," his mother said. "He loved every and anything about science. I think he got some of that from my brother, James."

He liked to fish, camp and enjoyed outings at Lake Sovereign in Cherokee County and Lake Allatoona. He kept a canoe at his grandparent's house. Also a gardener, he grew Brussels sprouts, peppers and other goods. He played golf, too.

The family plans to set up a scholarship fund or establish a science project that bears Elijah's name, "something to help other kids," his father said. "He liked to share and one way to remember him would be to share."