I was born in Fremont, Michigan.  My family moved west when I was very young and I grew up in Tucson, Arizona.  I graduated from Arizona State University in 1969 with a BS in Accounting and accepted an offer from Monsanto Co. in St. Louis, Missouri.  There I met the love of my life, Barbara, and we were married in 1971. We had two children, Scott in 1973 and Christine in 1975. Along the way, I earned an MBA from St. Louis University.  In 1977, I transferred to Monsanto Flavor/Essence Co. in Montvale, New Jersey and then back to Monsanto headquarters in St. Louis in January,1979. In early 1980, I transferred to the Trenton, MI plant and worked there until I retired in 2001 as Supt. of Accounting, I.T., Purchasing & Distribution.  We fell in love with Trenton because it seemed like a small community and my son already had an obsession for the sport of hockey (state champions in 1991).

When we lived in Missouri, soccer was a very popular sport; however, when we moved to Michigan in 1980, soccer did not exist at Trenton high school.  I was one of the founders of the Downriver Youth Soccer Club to help grow the sport. By the time Scott was a sophomore (1989), soccer was much more popular and had been added to the Trenton HS program.

Barbara returned to school in 1982 and earned a degree in Nursing.  She worked for Henry Ford Health System in both full and part time Nursing and Quality & Risk Management positions during her career.    Scott (MSU grad, CPA), his wife Renee, and children Natalie (15) and Kate (12) live in Trenton MI. Christine (UM grad, RN) and children Owen (15) and Lucy (13) live in Naperville, IL.  

My desire to “give back” to the community prompted me to join Trenton Rotary on December 1, 1987.   I served in several board positions and was President in 1993- 94. One of the highlights that year was the induction of the first woman into Trenton Rotary, Paulette (Tank) Dillingham.  Unfortunately, this was not well received by a few members. Now, I know we all recognize the excellent talent and work ethic that women bring to Trenton Rotary.

Another attraction of Rotary that I have enjoyed is having my family involved in Rotary projects such as the Nicaragua Layette Packing Days, Roar on the River and Salvation Army Bell ringing.