A Brief "Bio"

Like many Arizonans, I was transplanted here from the midwest (Chicago) when I was 4 years old. Raised in Scottsdale, I graduated from Scottsdale High School in 1973. My family moved to the west side of the "Valley of the Sun" during my senior year, and I wound up going to Glendale Community College as a result. I took my first college level geology classes from J. Robert Thompson. I decided that I liked geology, and went on to earn a bachelors degree from Northern Arizona University in 1979. Upon graduating from NAU, I went to work for a highly unusual company that had acquired (mineral specimen) collecting rights with many of the large mining companies in Arizona (Phelps Dodge, Kennecott). Though not very monetarily rewarding for the miners, I got to live and work at many world famous old mining sites like the Red Cloud Mine, and the Grand Reef Mine, and others over a period of about 3 years. After that, I took on the responsibility of managing the world famous Stewart Lithia Mine in San Diego County, California, where we mined the sought after "Hot Pink" tourmaline. In 1983, I moved eastward of the Continental Divide (something I swore I'd never do!), and took on another mining project, a quartz crystal mine in Mt. Ida, Arkansas, and lived in the Ouachita mountains for 5 years. I missed the open spaces of the Southwest, and in 1989, I returned to Arizona to take this Science Lab Technician job at GCC (full circle!). The opportunity to teach introductory geology lab classes (GLG 103) came about shortly afterward, and I have found this to be a very satisfying, enjoyable and rewarding experience.

 

Things I like to do? Well, obviously I like Minerals and Rocks - they're all over my house and my office!

 

Whitewater rafting, camping, touring, and shopping antique stores are some of the things my wife Renee and I enjoy the most.

 

Music is another passion, I enjoy playing bass guitar, guitar, mandolin, guitjo, wooden flutes, diggeridoo,Tibetan bowls, Mouth harp, keyboards - whatever I can get my hands on! Getting together for music with my friends occurs on a regular basis. You may even get to catch some of us at Fiddler's Dream, Next Coffee Co., or the Sail Inn, some time?

 

 

 

URL: http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/appliedscience/wmjweb/whoami.html

Last update: Thursday January 12 2012