I was born in the Anthracite coal regions of eastern Pennsylvania, in a small town situated close to the Pennsylvania Dutch country (indeed as one might guess from the name, that is a major portion of my heritage). I did not leave that town until entering Cornell University in the late 1950s. Attending an Ivy League university following such a childhood was a severe shock to heart and mind.

After an exceedingly slow start at collegiate life, I found myself attracted to scholarly inquiry. Even so, becoming a professor was more a matter of chance and luck than the fulfillment of a grand plan. However once "suited up" as an academic, I felt as if I were wearing the finest garb ever fitted to humankind. That is a feeling I still have.

I am married to a professor, with whom I collaborate as a researcher. We have three children (biological and step-children). The oldest is a faculty member at the University of Arizona, holding a joint appointment in the Business School and Computer Science. The middle one manages a sales territory for a medical supplies manufacturer and also trains medical personnel in the use of the complex things he sells them. He also resides in Tucson, Arizona. The youngest is helping to launch an Internet start-up company specializing in locating music that is specifically tailored to one's listening interests.

When life permits time away from academic matters, I enjoy travel (preferably to warmer climates with remote stretches of rugged coastline), photography (I use Nikon 35mm equipment), and just about anything having to do with electronics (computers, scanners, digital cameras, camcorders, audio mixers, video editors, and on and on). At the moment, however, some of my best moments come from time spent with our first grandchild, Kyle.

(Posted on 1/21/2000)