After graduating from Mt. Lebanon, I attended the University of Kentucky for a couple years; majoring in Social Work (didn’t we all want to save the world back then?). But after a while I figured that I didn’t want to spend the time or money earning a degree that leads one directly to poverty. Grades were OK, but I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do; thinking that a degree major choice was a life decision, so I stopped out for a semester.

Spent the summer of ’74 with Marty Capoferri and Paul Viola on Cape Cod. Lots of fun and spent ALL the money I earned as a prep cook at a major seafood restaurant. Money very well spent. For my stop out semester, I worked at a machine shop on Neville Island from 11:00 pm to 7:00 am, and at the sporting goods store at South Hills Village from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Thankfully I had off from one of them every 3 days or so.

Returned to college at Edinboro for the Spring term in 1975, and chose Geology as something that could hold my interest long enough to earn a degree and get out. After struggling with school (but not partying) for a couple years (including super academic probation) I finally got it in gear. Probably had a lot to do with meeting the girl who would become my wife of 32 years and counting!

After graduating from Edinboro, we moved to Houston, Texas where I jumped into a really cool career in Petroleum Exploration. It worked out that I had a special talent at finding new oil and gas reserves, survived the industry downturn of the late ‘80s, and joined with one of those really unusual people with vision to start a new company that went public in 1999. Cha-ching. Then, in 2005 we sold out to a large Norwegian company. Cha-ching again. In all the company turned $116,000,000 into $2.45 billion in six years. The Norwegian folks asked me to stay for another year for a salary doubling bonus. A smaller cha-ching for the third and final time.

 In October of 2007 we bought a house in Edinboro, in December 2007 we bought a townhouse in Houston, and in January 2008 we sold our house in Sugar Land, Texas. Then in April of 2008 I quit my job and retired. Sweet! Now we live from May through October in Edinboro, and from November through April in Houston. While in Edinboro I play a lot of golf, and do quite a bit of “farm” work. I also sit on the local Water Authority. When in Texas I still play a lot of golf, but lacking any natural talent whatsoever, I think it a success to make bogie. I also do volunteer work twice a week helping low income people do their tax returns from February through April 15^th for the AARP. Then it’s time to start thinking about flying back north.

My wife Mary Ann, also an Edinboro graduate, is originally from Punxsutawney, PA. We have two great kids who both graduated from Texas State University at San Marcos. Our son is also a decorated Marine who spent 4 years active duty; including the initial operation in Iraq. Our daughter is in the health care field. Both live in San Marcos, Texas. They come up to visit us every summer, and we look forward to spending as much time as we can with them when we’re down in Texas.