I am a fanatical animal-lover, and my extensive volunteer work in animal advocacy, welfare, and rescue – has a dedicated page: Animals
My world revolves around my beautiful newly-wed bride Joanne. I love her more than I can express. She is everything to me.
Animal advocacy, welfare, and rescue are our mutual passions, and we do them together.
From my previous marriage, I have two step-children – Elizabeth (Lib) & Eric – whom I helped raise and love dearly.
My father Whit recently died from pulmonary fibrosis, but my mother Gale survives him. I was very close to my father, and remain very close to my mother. They’re great parents – especially since I wasn’t an easy child to raise. :-)
I’m a polymath who loves to learn and have new experiences. As a child, my mother taught me to read proficiently before kindergarten, and on exams like the Iowa Tests, I was consistently in the 99th percentile in every subject. As an adult, I’m a member of Mensa – the largest, oldest, and best known high-IQ society in the world (top 2%), and enjoy intense self-directed studies in disciplines such as neuroscience, world history, physics, leadership, story-telling & narrative, economics, software development, animal behaviorism, brand engagement, and geopolitical strategy.
I exercise almost every day – usually trail running, speed-hiking, or walking a rescue dog. I’m a triathlete who loves to cycle, swim, climb, and practice yoga – though the only one I’m competitive at is cycling (road time-trials).
In my teens and 20s, I was very active in full-contact martial arts, combat shooting, and various skills associated with close-quarter battle (CQB). For several years, I owned a combatives school, where we provided instruction ranging from women’s self-defense classes to highly-specialized close-quarter battle (CQB) techniques.
I grew up hiking, rock climbing, and trail running in the Blue Ridge Mountains. As a kid, our version of a family vacation was to spend a couple of weeks in the backcountry of the Rocky Mountains – up on the Continental Divide, climbing 13K-14K foot peaks. The most beautiful places I’ve seen on this earth are places where no road goes.
I’m also a student pilot with the Lockheed Flying Club.
My heroes and role models include George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin – a famous polymath, and Mahatma Gandhi.
32° seeking More Light.
