Our family vacation to a dude ranch in Montana

Born in Connecticut

At the time of my birth, our family was living in Stratford, Connecticut. My dad worked at the nearby Sikorsky Helicopter facility. Stratford is named after England’s famous Stratford-on-Avon, and hosts an annual Shakespearian festival accordingly. We moved to California when I was five.

Grew up in Los Angeles

When I was five, my Dad changed employers to work for Hughes Tool to design helicopters, which involved a move to Los Angeles. Growing up in LA on the 60’s was pretty cool. We lived a mile from the ocean, and the Beach Boys were making musical history just a few miles down the coast.

Schools I attended:

Jobs I held during these years:

• Paperboy - LA Daily News and Los Angeles Herald Examiner
• Janitor – Hilltop Cleaners
• Cashier – McDonalds and Dockweiler State beach snack bar
• Dishwasher – Woolworths fountain
• Camp Counselor – YMCA & Shadow Valley Ranch (Prescott, AZ.)
• Assembly Line – McCulloch Chain Saw factory
• Service Attendant – Okamoto’s ARCO station
• Book Sales – Southwestern Publishing Co.

During the last two years of high school, I was also involved with the US Naval Sea Cadet Corp.