My interest in astronomy began during my elementary school years in Elgin, Illinois. My oldest friend and I would spend many nights with his Edmond Scientific 3-inch reflector seeing whatever we could find in the sky. I ground and polished my first telescope mirror when I was 11, which I built into my first telescope, a 6-inch f10. I was an active member of the Elgin Astronomical Society throughout my school years until I left for college. I was a regular contributor to the Star Gazer newsletter we published to support the astronomy program for the Elgin school district. I also helped grind and polish more than 30 telescope mirrors that we produced to make telescopes for each school in the district.
My wife and I moved to Tucson in the fall of 2016 in large part to allow me to continue my interest in astronomy after more than 40 years in the cloudy Pacific Northwest. I joined TAAA immediately upon our arrival. I have been actively pursuing my interests and dream of becoming an astrophotographer with some early success, but still working my way up that learning curve, perhaps for life!
I became involved with the CAC Strategic Planning Group in the fall of 2017. I became the CAC Director in January 2018. I served as TAAA Treasurer for four years from 2018 to 2022.
In addition to my interest in astronomy, I bring a background of more than 30 years as a small business owner and manager to share with TAAA. I was the President/CEO of two different businesses that I helped to build from their inception. I have also served on two boards of directors for non-profit business associations and on an advisory board for The College of the Environment at Western Washington University, my alma matter.