Hometown: I was born in Fairmont, Minnesota, where my parents owned a small business. Their first business was a shop on Main Street where they sold radios, appliances, TVs, boats, motors, and records. The retail shop was sold in the early 1960s, and a 12-acre memorial park cemetery became the family business. 

When did you join UMRA? In 2015, the year before my phased retirement ended. 

What was your very first job? My high school job was for the family business where I kept the cemetery records, such as where people were buried. There was a master logbook where every burial was recorded. Since my handwriting was legible, it was my task to make the entries. 

What was your role at the University? My 45 years on the faculty at the U was an interesting career path. The first 20 years were spent on the U of M Waseca (UMW) campus. The two-year college focused on a curriculum related to the needs of rural communities including agricultural business, services, production; animal health, horticultural, and food technology; and home and family services. I was in the first round of faculty hired in 1971 and taught biology courses. 

When the Regents closed the campus in 1992 (I still think it was a mistake), I was vice chancellor for academic affairs and the last faculty member to leave the campus. I transferred to the Twin Cities campus as assistant/associate dean in the College of Biological Sciences, a position I held for about eight years. For my final 15 years I was director of the Biology Colloquium and internship programs and also advised three very active student clubs. It wasn’t a typical academic career, but I thoroughly enjoyed working with undergraduates. 

Since retiring, I have started an antique business and I serve as co-president of the Fan Association of North America, a non-profit organization of hand fan collectors.   

Do you have a favorite place on campus? The Weisman Art Museum is a real campus gem and a favorite place to see creative works. I’ve never been artistically talented myself, but all my life I have associated with artists and have collected their work. My walls are full. In another life I might have been an art dealer. 

Who or what sparked your interest in biology? My 10th-grade biology teacher was a great teacher. At the end of the school day, my girlfriend and I would hang out in his classroom. I knew when I went to college that I wanted to major in biology, but wasn’t sure what I might do with the major. When I finished my BA I was married, living in Mankato, but couldn’t find a job. Starting an MA program seemed the logical road to take. UMW opened just as I graduated, and I was hired.   

You taught and advised thousands of students over 40-plus years. What did you learn from the experience? I learned how to write reference letters for pre-health science students that were unique for each individual. I think I have finally written my last letter. 

What is a fun fact about you that we might not know? I won’t call it fun, but in the early 1990s I volunteered to help with a population genetics study on Gambusia hubbsi (the mosquitofish) on Andros Island in the Bahamas. We flew to and from Andros on a charter flight in a six-seat Cessna. On our return flight to Fort Lauderdale, flying at about 4,000 feet with hardly a cloud in the sky, the luggage pod on the underside of our plane (the plane looked pregnant) was clipped by the tail of a Coast Guard jet and fell into the sea. My pilot friends say we lost all we could afford to lose from the plane. My mother heard a report on WCCO radio describing it as a fender-bender in the sky. I have avoided small aircraft ever since.