Hometown: Thief River Falls, a small town about 300 miles northwest of the Twin Cities, known as the headquarters for Arctic Cat and Digi-Key.

When did you join UMRA? 2009.

What was your very first job? I grew up on a farm, and my very first job was working for a neighboring farmer driving a tractor and haying. My first job at the U of M was in the cryobiology laboratory in the Department of Animal Science. This lab studied the preservation of living cells by freezing, especially sperm cells from farm animals used for breeding. The work was related to the research I did for a Ph.D. in low temperature physics.

What was your occupation when you retired from FT work? Working on database applications in Transplant Information Services, a part of the Department of Surgery.

Where were you in 1968? I was teaching physics at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. It was one year after getting married and one year before starting graduate school at Texas A&M University.

Do you have a favorite place on the U of M campus? My favorite places are on and near the St. Paul campus, including the Display and Trial Garden at the corner of Folwell and Gortner avenues, the Sarita Wetland restoration area west of the state fairgrounds, and the old streetcar line that once connected the St. Paul and Minneapolis campuses.

What is a fun fact about you we might not know? Before looking for real jobs in 1971, my wife and I spent a year touring Europe while living in a VW camper van. 

What is something you currently enjoy doing with your time? I enjoy outdoor activities, including gardening, hiking, bicycling, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing.