I was born in Long Beach, California on January 8, 1955 at 11:05 PM, but I was raised in a humble setting in the beautiful hills of San Francisco, California. As I look back on my 40 plus years, I can honestly say that it has been a wonderful life. I consider myself fortunate to live in the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains of Lake Tahoe. I love breathing the fresh mountain air and the taste of the mountain spring drinking water, and I have a wonderful family. As a youth growing up our family was poor and struggled financially. One time when I was about 17 years old we were able to afford some New York steak. It was a special treat for our poor family, and as I sat down on the living room sofa with my plate on my lap, the steak and a potato on my plate looked absolutely delicious. Just as I was ready to start cutting my steak, our families pet, a dog named Caesar came strolling through the house and grabbed the meat off my plate and ran straight out the open front door. I chased him down the street but couldn't outrun the stupid mutt. The next time we saw the dog I could swear that he had a grin on his face as he sat there and stared at me. I received my education locally at the South Tahoe High School and the Lake Tahoe Community College. I also attended Dumas High School in Dumas Texas for my freshman and sophomore years, and part of my junior year at Palmdale High School in Palmdale California. In High School I learned to play the drums, and I played in the High School marching band. I enjoyed being able to travel to the football games for participation in the half-time shows. I enjoy playing the drums and other percussion instruments to this day. I was also on the high school wrestling team and lettered in the 137 lbs weight class. Along with my wife Laurie I enjoy bicycle riding, and we participate in several of the nations largest and most popular bike rides every year including "The Death Ride", the "Tour de Palm Springs" and "America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride". Mixing my two hobbies of genealogy with computers is how I spend much of my time relaxing. The two interests go hand-in-hand with one another, and help me to relax and unwind after work hours. Chess and backgammon are two of my favorite games that I enjoy playing, but my wife doesn't play so my partner and opponent are usually limited to the computer. I have been in the Construction Industry as a professional painting contractor for over 24 years. In 1979 I obtained a California Contractors License, and a Nevada Contractors License in 1980. In 1988 I obtained my privates pilots license. One eventful occurrence in my life happened while I was a student pilot. I crashed a Cessna 150 during landing at Fallen Municipal Airport in Nevada. This was on my first cross-country solo flight. I recovered to go on with the flight lessons, and on April 25, 1987 I passed the medical exam for a pilots license and obtained my private pilots license. I have been checked-out in Cessna 150'2, 172's and 182's. My next goal is to get my instrument rating. Another close call I had was in 1973 when I was driving my mothers Chevrolet Grand Prix in Texas and wrecked the car. It was totaled and sent my mom, me and my brother and sister to the hospital. My mother was injured the worst with a broken collarbone. On January 9, 1988 I embarked on a three week "Dream Vacation" with my first wife and two daughters to Florida, the Bahamas, New York City, and a return to California in a private Amtrak sleeping car through Chicago, IL. In 1989 I went through a lengthy divorce. During the ensuing custody battle, which culminated in a nine-day trial in a California Superior Court in 1992, the court ruled for the parents to share custody. The court appointed its own attorney to represent the minor children in the matter. It is reported to be the longest and most costly custody trial in the counties history. It also resulted in an appearance for me on a national television show. The financial burdens of the trial resulted in a personal bankruptcy being filed in 1992. The old saying that a boat is "a hole in the water to pour your money into" proved true in my case, and after owning and docking one on Lake Tahoe for several years I finally sold it in 1991. I still get to enjoy boating though as our family rents a houseboat on one of our favorite lakes every summer. "Glorified camping" I like to call it. In February 1993 Laurie and I were married. My stepdaughter and stepson lived with us in Lake Tahoe until February 1995 when Shane moved to Yerington, Nevada to live with his father. My two daughters live with us in the summer and visit every other weekend. At this time I am operating a painting company in Lake Tahoe. It is a non-union shop employing 3-18 painters annually. The industry trade association PDCA (Painting and Decorating Contractors of America) has been instrumental in helping me operate a successful painting company and I have enjoyed giving back to my industry over the years by serving the association in various capacities on committees. This has enabled me to travel across the state meeting many interesting and knowledgeable persons in my profession.