Thanks to the dedicated efforts of Hans Jens W8HFM trustee of the Derby Wireless Association (Birmingham, Michigan) I received my Novice license in early July of 1971. Out of high school I joined the United States Air Force and had the pleasure of working on Collins radio gear for Uncle Sam. In the early eighties I attended Michigan State University where I was active with the MSU club station W8SH while studying Electrical Engineering. Out of college I taught electronics and robotics in Hazel Park, Michigan and enjoyed showcasing amateur radio to my students along with Roy Cook W8RYZ. For the next twenty plus years I specialized in controls engineering, first with Allen-Bradley (where many of my colleagues were avid amateurs), then with Siemens (where as an applications engineer I had a great time chasing DX while mobile in route to customer sites) and most recently as Senior Controls Engineer for ZF in Chicago. I relish contacts using vintage radios, love classic cars, dabble in ATV and try to make it a habit to observe the sun (combining astronomy and photography) every day the weather permits.