About

I suppose that philosophical issues are a dominant factor in my life. The questions "who am I" and "why am I here" are common to most, if not all, individuals. However, we all seem to find unique paths in attempting to answer these largely unanswerable questions of being. Of course, just illuminating the "inner light" without reference to specific events would be a less than complete image. Since I cannot tell you everything about me that seems of importance, I shall illustrate with a few scenes from my life experience.

Everyone is born on the birthday of some famous person. I was born in 1954 on Herbert Hoover's birthday. This is as close as I come to Republican politics :) On January 20, 1985 I performed in Chicago with the Lost Penguin Players at the Anti-Inaugural Ball. We wrote and performed comedy material based on Ronald Reagan's ghost-written "autobiography," Where's the Rest of Me? Given the source material it was impossible not to be funny.

I delight in new places, people and experiences and have traveled over a million miles in this country, mostly west of the Mississippi River. Half my life has been spent in Arkansas, the other half in Colorado, California, Illinois, Texas, and Tennessee.

In seminary I developed a doctrinal statement that emphasized the role of self-revelation in the process of "knowing a person." Human passion is the central element in history. The emotional responses of people to a situation or event shape the outcome. In a multi-causal environment passions are a primary method of causation. Perhaps the best self-portrait that I can concisely provide to you is a sampling of the passions that have influenced my life. The most enduring passion in my life is the joy of reading and the love of books which began with my parents reading to me. The two things I read most are history and science fiction. Music is a balm for my soul, I need to hear it daily. Being in the mountains is a religious experience. Whitewater rafting brings my mind and body together in a union of purpose and sense of challenge which no other sport provides. Gaming is a favorite activity, particularly bridge, blackjack, poker, and strategic war games. Italian food is a gift of the gods and I am indeed fortunate that for many years my best friend operated his family's Italian restaurant. (Deeply significant, no?)

I have always loved storytelling. Some of my earliest memories are of Francis Marion (aka "the Swamp Fox"), Daniel Boone, Davey Crockett, Jim Bowie, Kit Carson, Wyatt Earp, and Annie Oakley--to name a few. As a child of the 50s and 60s, I encountered these American characters via television. As I grew up, I came to realize that these stories were interwoven strands of a larger story--the story of America. I have loved American history ever since.

Passion for knowledge motivates me. The awesome truth is that everything I learn only demonstrates to me how much more there is to know. The finite nature of humanity precludes the possibility of anyone ever knowing everything. Thus we must choose what we will sample from the endless buffet.