Geesh, do I really want to take a pix of myself? Have one in my wallet that I don't like, so why have one on some web site?

I started out as a really cute baby, don't know what happened since! Born in Seattle, WA and went to a foster home until I was 11 months old. Guess from what mom says my foster parents were railroaders and up bright and early in the am -> 3 to 4 ish. I still get up really early, and have them to thank for it. Seems that I can get more done between 4 and 9 in the morning vs other times of the day.

Did really great in skool, until I hit the 6th grade. That was when they started trying to teach me something that I didn't care about or wasn't interested in; although I did like science and biology. Ended up dropping out of High School as they wouldn't let me take 4 PE's and 3 study halls. Took a couple of train rides during these years. Both ended me up in jail; Livingston, MT. and Vancouver, WA. Mom came and got me from Livingston, but sent bus money to Sheriff in Vancouver. Livingston ride was the best as we made our way to one of the rear engine cabs and rode in comfort. Vancouver ride was not bad as we picked one of the brand new cars on the top of one of the autoracks and got in. Amazing the gas mileage we got!

Well, I couldn't stay home as I didn't like mom just now. Joined the Marine Corps. Probably the best thing that I had ever done. Going through boot camp in the early 70's brought me resolve and self-esteem. Went to boot in San Diego, ITR in Camp Pendelton with 1st MAW in El Toro my first duty station. Orders came down for 6 or 8 guys for Camp Smith ( FMFPAC ) and I figure since I was at the bottom of the pecking order I wouldn't see them. Low and behold, nobody took those order so there I was flying to the Hawaiian Islands, specifically Oahu. Lots of stories from the Marine Corps jaunt, you will have to know me better for those!

Marine Corps was my first contact with computers. Started out on a Univac 9000: 2K mem, 2 tape drives, paper tape reader and punch and card reader and punch. Had satellite up link for message traffic ( my MOS: 2542 ) CINCPAC and FMFPAC merged as a 'cost cutting' action which brought a whole new set of computers. CINCPAC at that time was using a Univac 1004 with one of the 'highlights' of being able to change how the machine worked by pulling a wire-wrap memory board out and putting in another. Geesh! Just after the merger, CINCPAC upgraded to an RCA Spectra 70: 9 hard disks, tapes, 2 card readers/punches, 2 paper tape readers/punches, a magnetic card mass-storage unit along with 3 printers and various dumb terminals sprinkled around the shack. RCA sold to Sperry-Rand and they renamed the computer to a LDMX 7045. You have seen it as this is the one featured in the movie "Andromada Strain". On of the great things of this is when I got to go to CINCPACFLT as they were setting up their own 7045. They still had a Univac ( don't remember the model AND it filled a good sized room floor to ceiling, with the ops TTY being the only thing on 'the wall') for processing. We walked inside of that one as the person we needed to talk with was there. 15,000 vacumn tubes! Got warm!

The military was fun but I decided that I liked civilian life better and got discharged ( honorable ) on my birthday in 1973. I got poured onto and off of the flight back to the mainland and hit Camp Pendelton for my rotation out. Multiple jobs were available for what I had learned in the Corps.

More when I have time as there is *lots* from here on out...