After Roy-Hart, I got a BS in Horticulture at Michigan State in December 1970. I went home and worked at Smiths Roses until the business closed in 1979. I went to California and worked as a management consultant for about a year and a half. That was not going to be good for the long term, so I went back to school and got a Masters in Public Administration from Auburn University at Montgomery in 1982. I moved to Washington, DC and I started working for the federal government in September of 1982. I retired in January 2007. I now collect a government pension and Social Security. Not quite the way I planned it in high school but it worked out ok.

To recap 25 years of federal service, all with the Department of Defense: US Army (I was a civilian) 1982 to 1984, the Office of the Inspector General 1984 to 1990, the Office of Special Events 1990 to 1997, the Defense Manpower Data Center 1997 to 2004, and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency 2004 to 2007. That was 25 years of doing budget and financial management or international program management. The best job was 1990 to 1997 in the Office of Special Events. We helped law enforcement agencies with security for international sporting events in the US. I worked on the International Special Olympics, the World University Games in Buffalo, the 1992 Olympics and Worlds Fair in Spain, the 1994 Soccer World Cup in Pasadena, and the 1996 Olympics and Paralympics in Atlanta. Those were good times. I had lots of independence to do my job and good people to work for and with.

I retired in January 2007 and that October, I went into the Peace Corps. They sent me to Macedonia. Pop Quiz: Where is Macedonia? Answer: It was part of Yugoslavia and is on the northern border of Greece. After an intense 3-month training program, during which I learned to speak Macedonian, I started a 2-year assignment to work with the Macedonia Habitat For Humanity. That was a great assignment. It was a super bunch of people and a great organization to be helping. I worked with teams of volunteers from the US and Europe who were coming to Macedonia to build houses. During the summer of 2008, we had about 100 volunteers come to Macedonia. I helped with their travel, their adjustment to Macedonia, taught them a little about the history of the Balkans, and tried to show them all the good food and beer. Macedonia is a very interesting country and the people are fantastic. Go there someday.

I had to leave the Peace Corps after only 1 year because of a medical problem. The medical problem was quickly resolved but I found myself back in the US after 1 year instead of the 2 years I had planned. My house in Alexandria was rented for 2 years and I had no place to live. Therefore, it was back to California to stay at my brother’s house in Los Angeles. Winter in Los Angeles is better than winter in Washington, DC.

I still do not really have a place to live. I continue to rent out my house and I use the money to travel. In April 2009, I went to Brazil for a month. I did a volunteer project with Cross Cultural Solutions. I spent 2 weeks trying to teach English to Brazilians and then 2 weeks traveling in Brazil. Cross Cultural Solutions is a great way to do volunteer travel. I recommend this volunteer travel and I am planning more trips with them.

In April of this year, I went to Prague in the Czech Republic for a month for a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) class. I now have a TEFL Teaching Certificate. I also spent 6 weeks traveling through Germany, Hungary, Poland, back to Macedonia, and Bulgaria and Romania. I’m now making plans for more volunteer travel using the TEFL credentials to get some teaching experience and maybe be paid for it.

My parents passed away in 1992 and 1996. I never got married but my brothers have 5 kids so I get to play uncle whenever the mood strikes. I voted for Obama. I am still a liberal Democrat.