The most import thing in life, Family!
I had a family later in life. It wasn't until that happened, that I realized what was really most important. I have two wonderful kids. My daughter and son are extensions of my own life. Yes they are their own self, but I see me in them every day. I am proud of the young people they are becoming. They are caring and hard working and respectful of others. They know to enjoy life and be social.
Yes it is hard work and yes there are challenges in life, but having my family makes all things possible and establishes a meaningful reason for hard work and the happiness they bring.
Watching them grow and advance in each stage of their own lives is one of the most rewarding things to ever experience in life.
Born and raised in Portage Lakes, Ohio
Although I have an Akron, Ohio mailing address and live in the City of Green, I have always considered my true home to be the Portage Lakes. Growing up in the Portage Lakes was the greatest way to start off life. As I grew up and got older, I came to realize how special it was. It is like living in a vacation spot all of the time. I spent time growing up fishing and hunting and the family garden was a standard job for the whole family. Hard work at a young age set me in the right direction in life.
A young High School career at the local Pharmacy was a great stepping stone. My love of drawing , nature and science grew into a passion for Astronomy and reading "The Cosmos" by Carl Sagan gave me a life long love to gaze at the stars at night.
Soon I was working at the Research Center at PPG and working in the Chlorine and Herbicide labs learning new skills and working on developing new formulas handed by the chemists. That later developed into a whole new career setting up a Quality Control Laboratory and a future that started with Statistical Process Control and further developed into many areas of manufacturing, including on up to Operations Manager.
Computers and my next phase in life
I had one of the first computers available to buy in 1984. I made the purchase and instead of installing and playing games, I found more joy in developing business applications instead. Computers where a part of my first career and developed those skills and kept learning more. I made a total career change in 1997. I became a Lotus Notes Developer and Administrator and now 20 years later, have turned that love of computers into a rewarding career as a Senior IT Architect and Microsoft O365 Global Leader in a large Global manufacturing company of Aluminum for Aerospace, Automobile, Can, and Construction products. I manage Global Messaging Systems, Microsoft O365, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Legal eDiscovery and other Microsoft Technologies. I continue my advancement in leading technologies of today and the future.