"A native of the state of Washington, I am a graduate of Washington State University with a B.A. degree. At WSU I became a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, which is now the predominent organization in the U.S. fraternity system. I currently serve on the Board of Directors of the TKE Educational Foundation which is the financial means for the support of the undergraduate programs. During World War II I served for four years in the U.S. Air Force in the South Pacific ending in Manila. My business career was in the insurance business and at the time of retirement, I was Senior Vice President of what is the largest and best-known international insurance brokerage operation. I had no formal music background and started Hammond Organ lessons in the late '50s and developed an almost immediate passion for composition. My first recorded song came about in 1960 when I became affiliated with BMI and which I still maintain today. I still write on a fairly regular basis and to make it more challenging and enjoyable, I have a Technics digital piano. My family is my wife, two children, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren."