After high school and a stint in the Navy I went on to grad school at the University of Washington to become an environmental scientist. During the past 35 years I have worked in various parts of the globe including Canada, South Korea, Malaysia, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, East Timor, and the Philippines, among other locations. In January 2006 I...more »

After high school and a stint in the Navy I went on to grad school at the University of Washington to become an environmental scientist. During the past 35 years I have worked in various parts of the globe including Canada, South Korea, Malaysia, Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, East Timor, and the Philippines, among other locations. In January 2006 I retired from a job assisting building a new Peace Corps program in East Timor, the newest country in the world. Within two weeks of retiring I accepted a 3-month consultancy with FEMA leading engineering groups in rebuiding southern Louisiana government infrastructure damaged in Katrina. I retired again in June 2006 and started a fly-fishing pro shop in western Washington. January, 2007 I was recruited by the the Kingdom of Tonga to head up the reconstruction of their fire-ravaged capitol city, Nuku'alofa.

In addition to my professional work I have been a freelance outdoors and environment/conservation writer and newspaper outdoor columnist for many years. I have published well in excess of 500 articles.

In the late 1970's, while working and sailing in the equatorial Pacific, I met a beautiful Polynesian princess on the remote topical island paradise, Ha'apai, in the Kingdom of Tonga. Several years later I married her. We have two boys (26, 18), the older of whom is an artist, musician, and movie producer/director with his own company; Aboriginal Lens.

I believe that each of us has an obligation to try to make a positive impact for the betterment of our fellow human beings during our this very short life, no matter how limited our abilities. I am not sure how successful I have been. I am still trying. How about you? « less