1. Husband to Mary Anne the love of my life

2. Father to two Children: Amanda & Matt

3. No grandchildren yet, but can't wait.

4. I'm the oldest of three boys, Paul youngest, Brian in the middle.

5. Graduated Cass Tech High School, 1971

6. Graduated Wayne State University, BSEE, 1975

7. I'm a registered professional engineer, PE, in the state of Michigan.

8. My dad work for the City of Detroit (Water Board) he needed a PE. He tried, but to much time had passed between school and test. He could never pass.

9. As a result, I committed myself to getting the PE.  I have it, I've never used it, I pay the renewal fees, but I will NEVER give it up.

10. I started working on my MBA at WSU before the move to Texas.

11. Graduated Lamar University, MBA, 1988

12. My wife has a degree in Education at WSU, but never taught.  I thought that was a shame but...

13. My wife stayed home with the kids while they grew up.  That is one of the real problems today...

14. I'm a converted Catholic.  I was raised Lutheran.  But my wife was Catholic; we wanted the kids to have a strong religious up bringing.  We agreed on the Catholic faith.  In a way, my Dad was Catholic, I just came "back" to the church...

15. My wife & I renewed our wedding vows on our 20th anniversary and second honeymoon'd in Hawaii (Cruise).  Lucky no children were launched on the voyage.

16. My grandfather (father's side) came to the USA from Poland as a young man (Ellis Island).

17. Grandpa worked in the coalmines in PA until he moved to Detroit and got a job with Chrysler.  That's where he retired.  He was always retired in my memories of him.

18. He loved to go to the Palmer Park, feed the ducks and play cards with his buddies.

19. One year he was arrested.  How about that, a bunch of retirees.  I don't know the whole story, I don't think he actually went to jail, but I found it so strange. 

20. Grandpa never could speak English very well; I never had a meaningful conversation with him.

21. Grandpa Bill (mom's side) was a hillbilly.  His family had been in the USA forever.  He loved to tell stories.  Kids loved him.  Grandpa Bill spent the last years living in our Frisbee home.  He could make stuff out of nothing. 

22. I love kids.  When I retire I see myself becoming like Grandpa Bill.  I'm handy making stuff out of nothing.

23. My strength, I look at a problem and usually can fix it with the materials I have on hand.  This gives me a bit of a "short term" perspective. 

24. My wife's mother lives with us (over 20 years now).

25. I've lived with her longer than with my parents.

26. She moved in with us after being held up at gun point on the way to work.  She lived in the inter city of Detroit (close to the old Tiger stadium).  She never knew how to drive, always took a bus to work.

27. Extended family in the house is a good thing, but there is a price to be paid.

28. Favorite TV shows: Star Gate, Law & Order, CSI

29. Favorite Movies: Most anything SciFi & Action

30. I was a member of a skeet team.  We shot during the winter (right after Christmas) in the early morning.  Man, that was cold.  I still have the shot gun, but haven't used it in 25 years.  Used to hand load shells, gave the loader away when we moved to Texas.

31. I'm left handed (got that from my mom)

32. I was born without the sense of smell (also from my mom)

33. When I moved our family to Texas, it took our daughter away from my mom.  She was the only grandchild.  I regret that move.

34. My mother cried.

35. I never saw my Dad cry.

36. In Texas I worked for an offshore pipeline company.  Spent allot of time flying to offshore oilrigs.

37. One year, my mom visited.  I flew her to our large central platform (High Island Block 264).  She was scared (had to climb down the stairs from the helipad on her butt), but she loved it.

38. One year, Santa landed on the helipad at the Sabine Pass Office for the kids.  Santa was bugged (a person on a radio fed him info as the kids sat on his lap).  My daughter could not believe how Santa knew so much about her life..

39. After getting my MBA, I left the pipeline to get a "good job" and become a "high roller".  That never happened.

40. I've learned, family is the most important thing.  I'm happy where I'm at and have no desire to climb any ladders.

41. I love chocolate; I can't leave an open bag/box without eating it all.

42. Also, love pizza.

43. Growing up, favorite pizza - Buddy's

44. I love math, this is one reason why I became an engineer

45. My favorite math teacher in High School had a saying I'll never forget.  When we asked for our homework back, he would say, "you don't keep old band aides do you?"

46. I hate spelling, another reason why I became an engineer.

47. I'm a perfectionist

48. My dad played the tenor sax in a wedding band (The Foremosts).

49. Most weekends, my dad was playing "jobs".  Weekends it was "My Three Sons"  and mom, no dad.

50. I started taking private lesson for the clarinet at 8.  This continued into College.

51. My Clarinet teacher, Mr. Miller, had an outstanding tone.

52. I picked up the tenor sax in junior high school.

53. I taught myself flute while in college.

54. I played in the marching band in college (didn't have a marching band in high school, we were to high class).

55. We marched for the Detroit Lion, Thanksgiving in the Silver dome) the year it opened.

56. We marched for the Chicago Bears, Solider Field.  Man, was that cold, our director didn't allow gloves.  Fingers were numb by the time we got across the field.

57. I played in the Michigan State Fairs Honors band (while in high school).  We lived in the WSU dorms.  A week away from mom & dad.  This was great.

58. I stopped playing music when I moved the family to Texas

59. After 5 years without playing, my wife asked my to show a friend's daughter a few tings on the clarinet.  I never put it down again.

60. I started playing the alto after I moved to Texas for musical theater

61. I was in a "wedding" band (Nightlighters) while in college.

62. My brother Paul played the drums in our band.  He was 15 when he started.

63. I've played in school bands my entire school career.

64. I always wanted to be an engineer, but I never knew what an engineer did.

65. My dad was an engineer, another reason why I became an engineer.

66. My dad and I only played together once, at my brothers Paul's wedding

67. Amanda played the clarinet & trumpet in school.  She was good, I wished I pushed her more.

68. My parents pushed me to play.  I owe my musical life to them both.  I would not have done it on my own.

69. Matthew played the trombone and tube

70. I performed with my daughter in a musical production, Fiddler On The Roof

71. I never performed with my son

72. I played in the Grosse Pointe Symphony Orchestra (funny story here)

73. I played in the Bonstelle Theater in Detroit.

74. I had a bird shit on me while going to high school orientation

75. My Dad drove me to school most days.  Down Grand River road during rush hour.  I learned how to weave in traffic by him.

76. I'm played many musicals.  One of the memorable ones, Funny Girl in the "Barn Theater" in Michigan somewhere.  It was in fact an old barn that was converted.  The pit played in a hayloft above the show.  The director had a close circuit TV and headphones.  My brother was the drummer.  We had to tie his drums off on a rope to raise them up into the loft.

77. Before one of the performances at the Barn, Paul and I had an accident.  Not serious, but we had to call my Dad, he came, gave us his car and we left him there with the busted car.  We were late to the show.  I'll never forget the look on the conductor's face when we showed up.  He drafted someone to play the drums (the draftee had no idea how to play other than "boom chuck").  But the show must go on...

78. I had to take a city bus home from high school (15 miles one way)

79. I loved my high school, an 8 story intercity factory like building, built in the 20's

80. My dad also went to Cass Tech HS

81. One year we had swimming first hour (in the basement), than drafting 2nd hour on the roof of the 8th floor. 

82. Our school had three elevators that were manual.  Each had a little black lady that ran the elevator.  They didn't take any crap....

83. Swim class we swam nude (need I saw they don't do that anymore?)

84. My dad had the same gym teacher when he went to Cass.

85. I lived on Frisbee Street in Detroit when growing up.

86. My dad still lived in that house when he died.

87. We had a phone with a "party line"

88. We listened to WJR on the radio; I still listen to that station today.  But it's not what it used to be.

89. We had a field in front of the house, its full of homes now.

90. As kids, we played baseball all day on a homemade field.

91. As kids, my buddies and I would dig holes in that field and play war.

92. We had an amusement park, Edgewater Park, in our neighborhood.

93. Every year St. Eugene's (local Parish) would have a fair at Edgewater Park.

94. One year my dad won a color TV set at the St. Eugene's fair, and he sold it.

95. One summer I was a music librarian for a city all star Orchestra.  The rehearsals were at Cass Tech, with my buddy Reid Johnson.

96. During break, Reid and I would go out to the store and get jelly beans, Hostess cup cakes and Orange pop.

97. I carried a slide rule in high school (you guest it, it was my dads).  Most days I had a "circular slide rule in my shirt pocket, I was a nerd.  But Cass was full of nerds and musicians.  Oh, did I say I loved that school.

98. The tenor sax I play was my dads.

99. My son played hockey from 8 years old thru high school.

100. During that time, I fell in love with hockey.

101. I coached hockey for 4 years, my son was not on any of these teams.

102. I played men's pick up hockey for a couple of years, several times with my son (he's kick my ass).

103. I played & coached roller hockey for several years.

104. The only bone I broke was on a roller hockey rink.  I going for a ball against a guy 20 years younger than me, I was crushed.

105. During that time I would roller blade out in front of my house with a hockey net.  At 45 years old, I sure that was funny.

106. On vacation one year, I was roller blading at night.  I forgot about the security arm across the road entering the condo.  Skated right thru it and broke it off.  Fell flat on my ass.

107. I was a cub master with my son.

108. After my son graduated out of the pack, I continued as Cub Master.

109. I had hoped my son would continue into Boy Scouts, but he didn't & I dropped scouting.

110. Cruises are our vacation of choice.

111. Growing up, I only remember one vacation.  My Dad was always playing

112. Because of this, we take our kids on many vacations. 

113. OK here I stop, but I'm on a roll.....