My upbringing in Bonners Ferry shaped who I am today. Dad was the Bonners Ferry City Engineer and later the City Administrator. Mom was a small business owner, teaching knitting, selling yarn, and often referred to as the “Village Knitwit.”
I graduated from Bonners Ferry High School, spent a year in Germany as a foreign exchange student, then earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Idaho.
My upbringing in Bonners Ferry shaped who I am today. Dad was the Bonners Ferry City Engineer and later the City Administrator. Mom was a small business owner, teaching knitting, selling yarn, and often referred to as the “Village Knitwit.”
I graduated from Bonners Ferry High School, spent a year in Germany as a foreign exchange student, then earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Idaho.
My Navy career started with an eighteen-month training program in nuclear power and submarine operations.
Upon completion of training, I served onboard the USS Alabama, SSBN 731 out of Bangor, WA as the Main Propulsion Assistant and later the Tactical Systems Assistant. Following sea duty, we moved to upstate New York where I was a nuclear prototype plant Shift Engineer, teaching nuclear propulsion to the next group of young Navy sailors headed to sea.
After our son was born, Brenda and I decided to transition from active Navy to the reserve component and came home to Idaho. Less than a year later, I was back on active duty in 2001, serving the needs of the Navy in a post-9/11 world.
By the end of 2002, our unit was returned to reserve component status. My follow-on reserve duty assignments included two Commanding Officer tours, one leading a submarine maintenance unit attached to a submarine tender out of Guam and the other leading a Naval Security Force unit.
After twenty-one years of active and reserve duty in the US Navy, I retired as a Commander.
My Navy career started with an eighteen-month training program in nuclear power and submarine operations.
Upon completion of training, I served onboard the USS Alabama, SSBN 731 out of Bangor, WA as the Main Propulsion Assistant and later the Tactical Systems Assistant. Following sea duty, we moved to upstate New York where I was a nuclear prototype plant Shift Engineer, teaching nuclear propulsion to the next group of young Navy sailors headed to sea.
After our son was born, Brenda and I decided to transition from active Navy to the reserve component and came home to Idaho. Less than a year later, I was back on active duty in 2001, serving the needs of the Navy in a post-9/11 world.
By the end of 2002, our unit was returned to reserve component status. My follow-on reserve duty assignments included two Commanding Officer tours, one leading a submarine maintenance unit attached to a submarine tender out of Guam and the other leading a Naval Security Force unit.
After twenty-one years of active and reserve duty in the US Navy, I retired as a Commander.
Brenda and I met on our first day as freshmen at Bonners Ferry High School. We engaged in friendly academic competition for ten years before deciding we should join forces. Many years later we realized we had married ten years to the day after our first meeting. Now married for 29 years with two children, we have plowed a lot of ground together and look forward to more good times.
Most of the year, Brenda is a science teacher in the Lake Pend Oreille School District. Summers are spent with her animals and practicing applied chemistry (baking). Brenda and her father are both well-known at the Sandpoint Farmer’s Market with twenty-three years as active vendors. Brenda brings her pies and other baked goods and her father, Jim, aka “The Cornman”, sells his homegrown sweet corn to whoever gets there early enough.
Brenda and I met on our first day as freshmen at Bonners Ferry High School. We engaged in friendly academic competition for ten years before deciding we should join forces. Many years later we realized we had married ten years to the day after our first meeting. Now married for 29 years with two children, we have plowed a lot of ground together and look forward to more good times.
Most of the year, Brenda is a science teacher in the Lake Pend Oreille School District. Summers are spent with her animals and practicing applied chemistry (baking). Brenda and her father are both well-known at the Sandpoint Farmer’s Market with twenty-three years as active vendors. Brenda brings her pies and other baked goods and her father, Jim, aka “The Cornman”, sells his homegrown sweet corn to whoever gets there early enough.
Taking on new activities always results in personal growth. Over the years, I have challenged myself in the following roles:
Staying connected with our community means being involved and donating time and equipment. Some of my favorite volunteer projects have been:
Taking on new activities always results in personal growth. Over the years, I have challenged myself in the following roles:
Staying connected with our community means being involved and donating time and equipment. Some of my favorite volunteer projects have been:
As a child, I enjoyed Mark Twain’s writing. One of his life lessons was, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” The sand box has gotten bigger, but the idea is the same. As the owner of an excavation and marine construction business, many of my days are spent operating an excavator, driving heavy trucks, or on a barge.
As a child, I enjoyed Mark Twain’s writing. One of his life lessons was, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” The sand box has gotten bigger, but the idea is the same. As the owner of an excavation and marine construction business, many of my days are spent operating an excavator, driving heavy trucks, or on a barge.
When the work is done, let the playing begin! Whether it’s up on the mountain slopes, enjoying the lake, keeping up with the teenagers at the local track , or enjoying the Idaho sand dunes, we are lucky to have such beautiful scenery to enjoy with friends and family.
