| After graduating, I took a summer job as a merchant seaman for Sun Oil while Drexel Institute of Technology ruminated on whether to admit me for the 64/65 academic year. They finally did admit me but I failed at this first attempt at college and dropped out after two years and joined the Navy where I stayed for the next six years. That Navy time was one of the best things to ever happen to me because it woke me from my lethargy and got me thinking about not screwing up my next attempt at furthering my education. The other thing that woke me up during this time frame was my marriage and the births of my three children.
I parlayed my Navy experience into a job as a civilian contractor working in Maryland for a company focused on Navy electronics and logistics support. I stayed at that job for seven years using that time to go back to school where I got an Associate"s degree then a Bachelor of Science degree. Next, in 1980, I went to work for the federal government as a civilian employee again working for the Navy where I remained for the next thirty years achieving my Master's degree in the process. After 9/11, I moved to US Customs where I remained until 2005 when I retired from federal service.
Since retirement I've led a quiet, contemplative existence writing for my own enjoyment, watching my children flourish and welcoming ten grandchildren into my life. Those grandchildren have been a joy and I have no doubt that each of them will achieve greatness in some way. My oldest grandchild is working on a PhD from Stanford while my only granddaughter will graduate with a degree in Biology this year. Two more are working towards their bachelor's degree and the next two in line are trying to decide where they want to spend their college years. The rest are young ranging from fourteen years to four in age.
As of right now, both my wife of fifty-two years and I are hanging in there though age is starting to take its toll.
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Jim's words about the knitted beanie: "I have been living in the same house for the past forty two years in suburban Maryland. It's not a palace but it suits "she who must be obeyed." Here are recent pictures of me modeling one of her creations. As you can see she is the talented one, I am just another pretty face for her to exploit."
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