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A Brief "Bio"
- Like many Arizonans, I
was transplanted here from the midwest (Chicago) when I was
4 years old. Raised in Scottsdale, I graduated from
Scottsdale High School in 1973. My family moved to the west
side of the "Valley of the Sun" during my senior year, and I
wound up going to Glendale Community College as a result. I
took my first college level geology classes from J. Robert
Thompson. I knew I liked geology, and went on to earn a
bachelors degree from Northern Arizona University in 1979.
Upon graduating from NAU, I went to work for a highly
unusual company that had acquired (mineral specimen)
collecting rights with many of the large mining companies in
Arizona (Phelps Dodge, Kennecott). Though not very
monetarily rewarding for the miners, I got to live and work
at many world famous old mining sites like the Red Cloud Mine,
and the Grand
Reef Mine, and others over a period of about 3 years.
After that, I took on the responsibility of managing the
world famous Stewart
Lithia Mine in San Diego County, California, where we
mined the sought after "Hot Pink" tourmaline. In 1983, I
moved eastward of the Continental Divide (something I swore
I'd never do!), and took on another mining project, a quartz
crystal mine in Mt.
Ida, Arkansas area, and lived in the Ouachita
mountains for 5 years. Although the Smallmouth Bass fishing
was good, I missed the wide open spaces of the Southwest!
So, in 1989, I returned to Arizona to take a Science Lab
Technician job at GCC (full circle!), and have since been
made the Coordinator of Science Labs in the Physical
Sciences Department . The opportunity to teach introductory
geology lab classes (GLG 103) came about shortly after my
arrival, and I have found this to be a very satisfying,
enjoyable and rewarding experience for the last 25 years!
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- Things I like to do?
Well, obviously I like Minerals and Rocks - they're
all over my house and my office! Oh yeah, I am also a big fan of just about
anything in the "Marvel Universe" (...Hail Hydra)!
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- Whitewater rafting,
camping, touring, and shopping antique stores are some of
the things my wife Renee (33 years together!) and I enjoy
the most.
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- Music is another
passion, I enjoy playing bass guitar, guitar, mandolin,
guitjo, wooden flutes, diggeridoo,Tibetan bowls, Mouth harp,
keyboards - whatever I can get my hands on! Getting together
for music with my friends occurs on a regular basis. You may
even get to catch some Skunk Creek
Railroad or the Skunk Creek String Band at Fiddler's Dream,
North Mountain Brewing Co., Sail Inn @ Cactus Jack's, or Folk Festivals in Tucson,
Prescott,
or Glendale
some time?
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- URL:
http://www.gccaz.edu/academicdepartments/physicalscience/wmjweb/whoami.html
- Last update:
Monday, 24-Nov-2014 15:48:40 US Mountain Standard Time