VISUAL OASIS GRAPHIC DESIGN
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     I entered this world as a “Yooper”. For those of you who are going “a what?” - a “Yooper” is someone who was born in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan - the “UP”. Both my mother and father came from one of coldest parts of the country - Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, known for the Soo Locks that connected three of the Great Lakes.
     I had a typical upbringing for a middle class baby boomer. My father was an engineer for Caterpillar Tractor Company and my mother was a housewife. One of the realities of being the son of a Caterpillar engineer is the fact that engineers were transferred where their skills were most needed. Three months after I was born my father was transferred to Illinois. I don’t remember much of this period but I am told that I created a little excitement at the age of 2 when I mistook a package of Ex-Lax for a chocolate bar.
     It would not be long before my father was transferred again. This time it would be Billings, Montana. When we moved there I was only three. I have fond memories of this time of my life that included trips to Yellowstone and Glacier National Park. One of my most vivid memories was listening to salesman try to sell a fall-out shelter to my parents. As young as I was I still understood the seriousness of the discussion. I guess that is one of the intangible affects of the Cold War.
     The call to move would happen again when I turned 8 and the family would head north to Calgary, Alberta Canada. For those of you who think they have experienced cold, try an actual temperature of -55F and a wind-chill of -90F. There are two events that I remember about this time of my life. I had my first taste of victory as the Blackbottom team I played goalie for won the school’s championship. Blackbottom is soccer played on a gym floor where the players moved down the floor scooting on their rear ends. The goals were tables turned on their side. The second event is experiencing prejudice for the first time in my life - and I was the victim of that prejudice. It seems my grade school teacher did not think much of Americans. Somehow I was able to overcome this period but I don’t remember just how I coped.
As you might have guessed, my father was transferred once again and I found myself celebrating my 10th birthday in Peoria, Illinois, Caterpillar’s home office. This would be the last time my life would be affected by the transfer bug.
     For nearly two decades I would live in Peoria. To this day, I still refer to Peoria as my hometown. I had a paper route. I was a member of the local high school football team. I worked at a fast food restaurant as a teenager and at a variety of jobs as a young adult.
It was when I turned 29 that I felt the need to relocate. Urged on by a friend from the past who was living in Florida, I would move to Cocoa Village, Florida in July of 1984. I would meet my future wife, Diane, shortly after I arrived in Florida.
     Moving to Florida would be a turning point in my life. Within a year of moving to Florida I would be moving to Orlando as an employee of the Orlando Sentinel. Starting as a custodian, I would quickly find myself working in the News Composing room and as the industry progressed I progressed right along with it first as a typesetter, then a graphic artist. Since then, I never looked back and being a graphic artist would become my career.
     I would return to school at the age of 48 and 2.5 years later, I would have my associates degree in Commercial Art graduating Summa Cum Laude. I have continued to learn and grow as a graphic artist and a person. I consider my skills to be well-rounded and stand ready for any new challenge with the desire to see a problem, then solve it.
My philosophy can be stated in the following statement:

The bigger the challenge, the higher degree of satisfaction can be attained.