I was raised in Aberdeen, Idaho, a wonderful little farming community of remarkable people with old-fashioned Christian values. Thanks to great parents (and grandparents), I learned that honesty, integrity, and a good work ethic will serve a person well throughout life, regardless of what the rest of the world might throw at him. I loved the farm and the atmosphere that came with it. I enjoyed hard work, whether it be hauling hay, moving sprinkler pipe, or just milking the cows. It was an environment that spawned life-long friendships with terrific folks who shared those hometown ideals. I graduated from Aberdeen High School, attended Ricks College for a year and then, after a summer of building potato storage facilities for a construction Company, enlisted in the United States Navy.
I went through recruit training and a school for basic electronics in San Diego, California. Then I went to Treasure Island, in the middle of San Francisco Bay, where I spent more than a year going through additional electronics schools. After that, I served aboard three ships, USS Eldorado, USS England, and USS John Paul Jones. I also served as a member of Boat Support Unit One and as staff at Fleet Combat Directions Systems Training Center on Point Loma in San Diego. In 1970, I met Peggy Chisenhall, a San Diego native, and on February 29, 1972, we were married in Las Vegas. We bought a home in Mira Mesa and had two daughters, Kimberly and Christy. I worked second jobs at Precision Metrology in Clairmont and at a day care center at Mirimar Naval Air Station. We bought a larger home near Mission Valley in San Diego for our growing family, but sold it when I received orders to instructor duty at Great Lakes, Illinois.
In 1977, I began teaching at Electronics Technican School at Great Lakes. In 1980, I was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Education from Southern Illinois University after attending classes on weekends for sixteen months. In 1981, I bought a home in Waukegan and my children attended Waukegan schools. In 1982, I was retired on disability by a medical board of the U.S. Navy. I was a Chief Electronics Technician and continued to work as a civilian instructor, first for the College of Lake County and finally, for San Diego Community College.
In 1990, after eight years as a civilian instructor, I retired permanently and moved my family to Tempe, Arizona. Except for brief stints with H & R Block during tax season, I have remained retired. I began to learn about computers while still in the navy, but after having both knees and both hips replaced, as well as an ankle fusion and a synovectomy of the wrist, I began to spend even more time at the keyboard. Now I enjoy doing genealogical research and writing, but I also get a good deal of pleasure from playing Railroad Tycoon III and sometimes even a little online Texas Hold 'Em.
Much of my writing has found its way to the Internet and I often receive requests to do custom writing work for others. I have written two books about growing up in Aberdeen, as well as a third about navy life after leaving Idaho. In addition, I compiled many of my verses into a book of poetry. Recently, I have assumed the task of writing poetry on demand for an Internet web site.
Peggy, my wife of 33 years, remains active in volunteer work. She serves as a docent at the Rosson House at Heritage Square in Phoenix. She also works as a volunteer at Arizona State University's Grady Gammage Auditorium, where she ushers for its Broadway shows and concert programs. Both daughters have grown and left the nest, which has permitted Peggy to turn their rooms into craft and sewing venues where she can do her numerous projects in embroidery, upholstering, woodworking, miniatures, doll repair, and a dozen or so other pastimes.
