Who am I?

What we are (now) is largely a product of what we were -- to help you understand "where I am coming from" here are some historical details.

Ancestral History

Eldest of six children (four boys, two girls). Father was a career soldier who worked as a mechanic after retiring from the military. Mother worked for a few years as a cook in an institutional kitchen.

Remnants from my ancestors

Geographic History

Born at Camp Cooke (now Vandenburg Air Force Base) in California. Because we were a military family we moved around a bit:

Germany (twice);
Cupertino, CA;<;LI>
Eureka, CA;
Tacoma, WA;
Salinas, CA;
White City, KS;
Fort Ord, CA;
Whittier, CA;
and a few others

After I left home I continued to wander around:

Monterey, CA;
Grand Junction, CO;
Billings, MT;
White River, AZ;
San Francisco, CA;
Coos Bay, OR;
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA;
Redding, CA;
Ketchikan, AK,
Newman, CA

In addition to living in all these places, we have traveled all over the western U.S. and Canada.

Educational History

Nothing remarkable here! Public primary and secondary schools. I didn't care much for school and was lacking one semester of English at the end of my high school career, but it was easy to pass the G.E.D. exam a couple years later. I had no interest in more school, but did want to serve as a Salvation Army officer so I entered the Salvation Army School for Officers Training (a two-year program). Because of some health-related problems we (my wife and I) were not able to graduate and be commissioned as Salvation Army officers. I went back to school in 1996 and graduated in June 2000 with a B.Sc. in Computer Information Systems.

Work History

In my younger years I worked at a variety of jobs: janitor, truck driver, deliveryman, bookkeeper, miner, store manager, and office clerk. Later (and more significant) jobs included store supervisor, manager for an overnight delivery company, computer operator for a bank, and business administrator for The Salvation Army. I currently do some consulting work as time allows.

Corps Service History

My commitment to The Salvation Army is extensive (as you probably noticed on other pages here). I have served in a variety of positions within The Salvation Army, both paid, professional positions (mentioned above) and unpaid appointments as a Local Officer. Some of these positions include: Corps Treasurer, Missionary Sergeant, Corps Sergeant Major, Recruiting Sergeant, Junior Soldier Sergeant, and Corps Cadet Guardian, Sunday School Teacher, and Songster. I am currently serving as Corps Sergeant Major.