I was born in August of 1941, in Streator, Illinois. We moved to Chicago after WWII, to be closer to my parents’ families. We moved several times within the Chicago area. I have a younger brother, Larry, and a much younger sister, Lynn.
I graduated from Chicago City Junior College in 1962 and attended the University of Arizona, in Tucson, but didn’t graduate.
While attending high school and Junior College, I worked a number of part-time jobs including stock-boy in the women’s wear department of a department store, selling bed linens in the store’s bedding department, and delivering rental hospital beds, wheel chairs, and other medical equipment to third-floor walkup apartments.
After leaving school, I worked at a number of jobs, including selling shoes, and buying nuts and bolts. This led to a sales job in San Francisco, California. From that job, I went to work for a customer, selling industrial hardware to industry. This proved to be what I had been looking for. I worked in California for a little over a year before returning to the Chicago area. I worked for an industrial supply house in the Chicago suburbs, for about two years before starting my own business in 1971.
I opened about 25 miles from my former employer to avoid any accusations of pirating their accounts.
About two years later, I met Marcy Draper at a singles club and we were married in 1975.
I joined Rotary a short while later. This gave my father-in-law great pleasure, as he got to introduce me to his Rotary club in Florida when I went with him to “make up”.
Marcy was a Junior High science teacher so we took vacations in the summer, when she was out of school. . We enjoy traveling, though we haven’t had time for this since we moved to Arkansas.
We came to HSV for a Cooper tour in 1994 and returned to buy a lot in 1995. Marcy retired in 1999 and started practicing for life here in the Village, playing Golf and Bridge, and swimming in a local indoor pool. I retired in 2002, after 30 years in business, and we packed up our dog, Babe, and moved to the Village, where we have built our dream home on Lake Balboa.
I am enjoying fishing in our many lakes, as well as computering, photography, Racquetball, walking, playing with, and training our two current dogs, Starbuck and Augie, and of course, Rotary. HSV is my third Rotary Club. I have 29 years of Perfect Attendance. I have served two terms a President of the Rotary Club of Wheeling, Illinois. Currently, I have served the HSV Club as Bulletin Editor, and Head Flea. I was a District Special Representative to the Hot Springs Morning Club. I am in my second year as ADG.
Many of you have probably thought that you could write a book about events from your careers. I have started a collection of very short stories, and though it will probably never be published, I am enjoying this writing.
