Vintage 1946
Born and (mostly) raised in Nashville TN, with a few years scattered around in Tulsa OK, Glen Ellyn IL and Cedar Rapids IA.
USAF 1965-1969, stationed mostly in Wichita KS working on comm gear on Titan II missile sites.
B.S. in 1973 from Middle Tennessee State University, major in Mass Communication (Radio & TV), with minors in Business and Journalism.
Worked for several years in radio before I got fed up with the pay, the hours and the people. Took a job with a company that manufactured automobile parts working in customer service. After about 6 months, my employer asked me if I would like to be a programmer. Apparently the aptitude test they had given me when I hired on indicated I would do well at it. So I learned COBOL programming on the job there, using IBM self-teaching books and letting the compiler slap me around.
After a few years, I went to work for Honeywell Information Systems in Cincinnati OH, doing installs and support on the Level 62 computers. After about three and a half years, Honeywell reorganized and dropped that product line. By then I was tired of so much traveling (our region covered Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, Louisville, Indianapolis and Evansville), so when a customer in Evansville offered me a job for substantially more money, I jumped at it.
I have been with Brake Supply here in Evansville IN since 1981 and, Lord willing, I'll be here until I retire in a couple of years. Brake had a Honeywell Level-62 when I came here, then switched to a Wang VS-300 (also a COBOL machine) which we used until 1996. At that time, we went from all homegrown software to a package supported primarily by a VAR on IBM RS-6000 hardware, and I was thrown headfirst into the multi value world, learning both Pick D3 and SB+ at the same time.
I've been married to the same lovely lady for the last 34 years. We have two grown sons, 32 and 26, and 4 grandchildren, including 3-year-old twin boys.
When I'm not working, I am a voracious reader. I also do a bit of HO model railroading. But my true passion is grand scale railroading. I spend my summer weekends volunteering at the Little Toot Railroad in Flora, IL.
http://www.littletootrailroad.com driving a 15" gauge coal burning live-steam locomotive. The smell of coal smoke, the sound of a steam whistle and the laughter of children...an unbeatable combination
