Biography

I was born in Grand Rapids Michigan.  My parents, Robert and Jean did a good job of raising two daughters and four sons, of which I am the youngest.  Growing up, I worked as a paperboy and a bagger/stocker at a local grocery store as well as doing normal household chores any kid of the time would have.  After I graduated from high school, I attended Grand Rapids Baptist College (now Cornerstone University).  I also spent a year at LOGOS Bible Institute in Los Angeles, California.  In 1987, I joined the Marine Corps Reserve.  I was in the “A” Company 1/24th Marines in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

On November 11, 1988, I married my high school “airhead”.  Shelly and I have known each other since I was in the sixth grade. Throughout my years in school I had viewed Shelly as an “airhead” because she was always known for being a bit of a goofball and social butterfly, whereas I was known for being “more serious.”  Much to my surprise, as I got older and smarter, I realized she was not the airhead I had thought.  I always tell my students to be careful what they call their classmates because they might just end up marrying one of them!  We have been married for almost 20 years!

In December of 1990, my Marine Unit was activated for Desert Storm.  We were shipped to Okinawa, Japan and from there were tasked with joint cold weather training with Japanese forces in northern Japan.  We later went to Subic Bay in the Philippines.  While there, Mount Pinatubo erupted and we provided security and humanitarian aid in the surrounding area. During our deployment, my first daughter Alexandrea was born.  I was able to see her for the first time when my unit returned to Grand Rapids.  She was over five months old.  Upon my return home I was able to get a job as a landscaper and returned to school to finish my education degree. 

My graduation from Grand Rapids Baptist College (Cornerstone University) came with a new daughter, Kylee, as well as my degree.  She was a week old on the day of my graduation.  I like to joke that I went to college on the “Ten Year Plan”. It took me so long to complete my degree due to the three “M’s” in my life:  Marines, marriage, and money.

After graduation I continued to work in landscaping until my first permanent teaching job which brought my family to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  At Mid Peninsula Public Schools in Rock, Michigan, I worked teaching At-Risk Students as well as middle school Science and English.  Due to declining enrollment, my job was reduced to a part-time position.  I had to decline the position as my family could not survive on the reduced income and instead began working as a landscaper and concrete finisher in Dallas, Texas. However, this wasn’t for me.

Our hearts were still in the Upper Peninsula and teaching, so I pursued the education needed to maintain my teacher certification.  This decision brought many trips back and forth between Jackson Michigan for temporary work and Upper Michigan for home and classes.   That year we put 40,000 miles on our car.  It wasn’t easy but it was worth it because in February of 1998 I got an interview at CLK Public Schools and a job offer.  My family and I moved to Laurium and later moved to Hancock where we currently reside.  In December of 2003 I graduated from Northern Michigan University with a MA in Educational Administration.

Many of the things we enjoy doing as a family are:  remodeling our home, (out of necessity!), building, working outside, visiting with family and friends, and taking them to see some of the sites in the U.P.  We also enjoy snowshoeing, sledding on Swedetown Hill, attending Winter Carnival and Bridgefest, relaxing at Calumet Waterworks Park, looking at the stones, going to Brockway Mountain every fall, hunting, biking, and walking. One thing we look forward to every summer is our annual trip to Colonial Michilimackinac where we meet family and step back in time re-enacting the lifestyle of people in the 1760-70’s.