I was born in Rockford, Illinois and received a BA from Augustana College in Rock Island Illinois (one of my professors was Rudy Edmond, who was a pioneer in setting up Holden Village). I then received a BS and MS in Geology from Northern Arizona University and a PhD from the University of Arizona.

I am married and have two daughters, one a starving artist in San Francisco and the other a starving writer in Portland. My Wife is an avid quilter and I have been in fabric stores on four continents (I don’t think there are any in Antarctica, so that’s most of the possibilities).

I spent my career in the oil industry in exploration and production geology, teaching and research. I am currently a geological consultant and have a research position at Colorado School of Mines.