Under my mugshot in my High School Yearbook (on left),  it said  "Has Tuba-Will Travel".  I don’t know who came up with that prophecy, but I should have paid more attention........

I attended the New Youk State Maritime College for two years until I found that I could earn a commission in the Air Force in 9 months. I left the swabbies and passed all the tests for Air Cadets until they checked my eyes more closely.  Having burned my bridges and since the Draft was in effect- I enlisted in the USAF, and became a radio equipment repairman.  I ended up in Tokyo and made Staff Sgt living in comparative luxury as an enlisted man. I had almost forgotten my Officer Candidate School application when I suddenly received a letter from a San Antonio uniform company congratulating me on selection to Class 62D.

After three weeks of OCS, my right knee was swelling up during the daily 5 mile runs (at 5A.M.) and I was directed to go to the hospital.  The doctor took one look at the X-rays and told me to check in the hospital the next day! I was scheduled for an operation on both knees that week!!!   They finished one and decided to delay the second until I recovered from the first.  Despite setbacks, I remained determined to rejoin OCS.  Little did I know that the doctors had given me only a 50/50 chance to walk properly!

I survived OCS and went on to Communications Officer School in Mississippi.  My first assignment was at HQ-TAC Langley AFB Virginia.  I worked as a Direct Air Support Communications Officer, evaluating and deploying new comm. equipment systems for Forward Air Controllers and Combat Control Teams in Vietnam.

I then went on leave of absence to University of Nebraska at Omaha and graduated after 2 full semesters with a Batchelor of Arts in English Literature and Speech (a rather abrupt change in direction!).   While I was languishing as "Lt. Joe College" on full pay and allowances, I got a call offering me an assignment  with CINCPAC on Oahu, Hawaii. I worked there as Chief, Command Center Communications through 1968.

During this time, my knees were again giving me trouble, and a doctor at Tripler gave me the bad news that I was unfit for worldwide assignment, and that I would never be eligible for a Regular Commission.  The Medical Board agreed with the doctor and offered me a disability retirement - at the rank of Captain.  At the time, I was finishing a Master's degree program at night in Systems Management with USC.

I soon landed a civilian job with the consultants expanding Honolulu International Airport - and after two years moved over into Airport Operations with the State of Hawaii - ending up as Assistant Manager, HNL.  I was happily racing my yacht and living the good life in my condo in Waikiki - when I lucked into a 9 month leave of absence to work with Bechtel Corp studying major airports all around the world.  After visiting Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and temporarily living in San Francisco, I found myself somewhat less enamored with Hawaii. So when I was suddenly offered a job in Saudi Arabia at several times my state salary, I bid Aloha to my boat, condo and the good life and started working in the big kitty litter box- not an easy transition…

In 1980 I had enough of Jeddah and accepted a position with the UN (International Civil Aviation Organization) and was posted  to Sri Lanka where I was appointed General Manager of their new Airport Authority - a challenging but deeply satisfying job for three years.   I then was transferred to Muscat,  Sultanate of Oman where I served as Senior Aviation Adviser for six years- (living in a villa on the beach). I started buying Oriental Carpets in Oman, and soon became an avid collector.

In 1989 I accepted the post of ICAO Deputy Director, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok. Our office was responsible for insuring the implementation of Standards and  Practices for the safe and secure operation of international civil aviation for 35 countries in Asia and the Pacific.  My position had me traveling from Bhutan and Nepal in the Himalayas out to Vanuatu and Solomons in the Pacific.  I also served a Aviation Security Coordinator for Asia and Pacific.  I conducted workshops and seminars in Airport Management and Operstions in places like Beijing, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Remember the Tuba??  While on leave in Copenhagen in 1984, I bought an old tuba - jus for fun - and soon after returning to Oman, I helped form a group of musicians calleing ourselves  the "Muscat Brass". After moving to  Bangkok in 1989,  I soon formed the "Bangkok Brass". As VP of the Bankok Music Society, I also took on a role of a temporary Impressario - coordinating and hosting concerts by the Canadian Brass and other groups. Simultaneously, I started collecting old and unusual brass instruments and Oriental Carpets. On weekends, I loved to sail and ultimately bought a hot racing trimaran which I raced in Pattaya and the annual Kings Cup in Phuket.

My life was certainly busy and interesting - but still somehow incomplete - at least until I met a lovely Thai lady named Phanpen who managed the hotel near the Yacht Club where I stayed each weekend. We courted for a couple of years and then married.  We were immediately (and doubly)  blessed with twin girls, Samantha and Jennifer in 1996.

After 20 years with ICAO, I retired in 1999 and we moved back to a my house in St Pete Beach Florida which I had bought some years before.  We had to immediately expand the house to fit the kids, my extensive carpet collection and some 200 tubas and other brass instruments. We share selected pieces of our various collections in galleries in a "cyber-museum" at <http://www.rugs-n-relics.com>

St Pete Beach is a great place to live - we have a house directly on the water.  We enjoy the little pleasures of watching sunsets and the dolphins and manatees swimming by . Our greatest pleasure of course is watching our lovely girls grow into little ladies.  In 2007 they started middle school so we have 6 more years of taxi service to look forward to!  We are the luckiest taxi drivers alive!