From 1970 to 1977 I taught in small, rural school districts in Ohio and in the mountains outside of Albany, NY. My family and I have seen enough cows, barns and milk trucks to last a lifetime. We enjoyed the farm experience: especially taking our milk pail to the farm and dipping raw milk from the holding tank. Talk about fresh milk at the dinner table!

I taught for 20 years at Herkimer County Community College in upstate New York, just east of Utica. During those years I had the opportunity to teach courses in business, math, and computer technology.

In 1995 I was appointed HCCC Coordinator for Distance Education. For the next two years I co-managed the county-wide Interactive Television Network (ITVN) connecting Herkimer County school districts and HCCC. HCCC offered several courses for high school students while the high schools shared courses amongst themselves via the ITV network.

May-June 1996 found me teaching a summer session at York County Technical College when the College was located in Village By The Sea (a condominium resort on Route One in Wells). I had the opportunity to teach during the College’s first year of operation. My wife, Diane, and I shared a working vacation--I worked four days at the college and she relaxed at the Marginal Way House across from the beach in Ogunquit.

The York County Technical College (now York County Community College) students, staff and faculty so impressed us during our stay that Diane and I made the decision that I should apply for the full-time faculty position. I accepted the Technology and Applied Science Department Chair position in August 1997 and served in that capacity until May 2005. August 2005 found me in the classroom where I continue to teach a full course load--both online and in the classroom. Diane has been known to teach the Computer Applications course.

In June 1998 Diane and I traveled to Colorado and California so that we could learn about distance education, specifically teaching college courses using a "new" technology called the Internet. Based on the research, YCCC offered its first online course (Visual Basic) the spring semester of 1999. The College has continued to develop its online offerings with many courses available. One of our goals is to have a fully-online associate degree.

August of 2008 I returned to YCCC as Adjunct Faculty teaching online courses and to work on special projects. The current project is bringing college classes to the rural parts of York County via a two-way videoconferencing system. The technology uses the Internet to connect the YCCC classroom in Wells with the Massabesic and Sacopee Valley communities. Our first degree program to use the technology in the fall of 2009 is Medical Assisting. I believe a more appropriate term is semi-retirement.

Diane and I live in Kennebunk with our pug, Miss Pugsley. Miss Pugsley is a registered therapy dog that loves to visit with everyone. Our son, Brian, works in IS for Staples.com, and lives in Marlboro, MA. You may view Brian's web site by clicking the link to the left. Our daughter, Marilou Haren, is a physical therapist living and working in San Antonio, TX.

The summer of 2008 was my tenth season giving tours for the Intown Trolley in Kennebunkport. Talk about a great job for a teacher (think of the trolley as a rolling classroom that when the door closes--a captured audience). I explain the history of Maine, talk about living in the Kennebunks, point out historic homes, and discuss whatever topic happens to pop up during the tour. Occasionally I drive the trolley out to Walker Point for family functions. Famous passengers include the "twins." Barbara Bush (whose rose bushes I almost drove over with the trolley), and a good number of visitors from across the USA. And yes, I have talked with President George H. W. Bush. The biggest benefit of my summer job is enjoying the drive by the ocean for hours at a time--and getting paid at the same time. The summer traffic in Kennebunkport can be what I describe as challenging--I constantly hone my driving skills avoiding cars and people.

Marilou and son-in-law, Major Steve Haren, presented us with this flag from one of his deployments to the Middle East.

Our thanks to Steve for service

to our country

Fly Safe