This is my daddy (hi, daddy). I am very proud of my dad.
He married my mom when I was just 5, moved us around the country (California, Florida, New Mexico 5th grade through junior in HS & Washington for senior year plus a couple years) and out of it (Germany for 3) while serving in the armed forces long enough to retire a Lt. Colonel (he once had a job that was so top secret that his office was in an actual vault – pretty dang cool).
He graduated with his bachelors degree from the University of Washington in his early 20’s, flew as a navigator in fighter jets (went to the REAL “Top Gun”) and aerial refueling tanker aircrafts. He worked with the DEA tracking drug dealers and was offered a job as dean of a state university (but it was in a farming state so I’m glad it didn’t work out because I thought I’d have to walk my cow to high school). His nickname in the military was “Doc” because he’s so friggin’ smart. With all that experience, expertise and training he decided after retiring that he’d go get a job to keep him busy, supplement the retirement pay and have fun with people… so he went to a casino to be a game dealer.
Craps is our family specialty but he can deal anything. Seriously, what some call “family night” we would set up the craps table downstairs and double down and yell for 7 or 11 :o)
Anyway… he didn’t last long dealing (which is too bad because he has fun doing it) and soon moved into supervisory type positions because he was over-qualified.
Long story short he decides to sell the house in Spokane (Mead, technically, but more people have heard of Spokane… just like we say we’re from Seattle but really it’s Redmond or Woodinville), move to Reno, Nevada (Fernley, technically), and attend UNR to get his MBA, concentrating on Casino Management plus work full-time at a casino.
On May 18, 2007, my dad graduated with a 4.0 as the TOP SCHOLAR (number 1, as in no other nor a tie) in the MBA graduate program, summa cum laude, at UNR.
I wish I could’ve been there cheering him on but since I wasn’t I dedicate this post to my daddy.
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*standing ovation* Congrats…and perfect tribute. Nice grad pic.
Thanks for the nice bio. Who loves you, baby! That would be your dad.
WOW! Very impressive. Two thumbs up for dad!
Congrats! Shannon’s dad!
Quite an inspiration!
Well done! What a legacy!
I would like to add that he was awarded The 2007 Wall Street Journal Student Achievement Award. As an award winner he received a commemorative paperweight embedded with a Student Achievement Award medallion and a one-year complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal and WSJ.comMom loves you too. This would be your Mom.
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