My Life: One Big Holaday

Born at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, I had no idea where life would take me. Certainly not to a career as Coach and Comic. In those days, I lived the typical life of an "Air Force brat", traveling the globe with my family.

My father, William (left) retired with the rank of Colonel from the Pentagon. His irreverent sense of humor had a great influence on my childhood. Every day, he would fire the family up with stories of practical jokes he played at work. Someone would leave their ID on their desk and he would tape a baby's picture over theirs. The Security people were not amused. My father loved it! His pranks never stopped and the stories continued to light our days throughout his full life. I got my humor from him, but not without encouragement from my mother, Ione.

Ione loved my father's pranks and was a responsive audience for his hilarious stories. I am so grateful that she lived to see me perform at some High School benefits with my friend and mentor, that brilliant motivational speaker and comedian, Brett Leake.

My brothers, Jim and Bill, succumbed to my father's military bearing and followed in his footsteps, both also retiring as Air Force Colonels. I'd like to think they did that simply because they were not big enough physically to become PE teachers as did I, but that's fantasy. In truth, both are big men in other important ways. The photo at right shows Jim (Left) and Bill (Center) holding my great niece, Madeline. And at the right stands their one-hitch less-military sibling (guess who?).

While they committed to Air Force careers defending our Nation, I settled for a two-year stint with the Army (Keep your feet on the ground!), after which I completed my Baccalaureate studies at Virginia Tech.

While I was at Tech, I tried my hand at other vocations during summer breaks. One summer I landed a job driving for Allied Moving Company. As you can see from the picture below (left), it didn't turn out to be my best "performance". Seems I was insensitive to those low-clearance bridges. I quit before they could fire me. Retreat before defeat, so to speak.

But life teaches one that good things often follow bad. Fortunately, that proved true in my case! While attending Virginia Tech met and married my life partner and wife, Debbie.

Debbie and I (pictured below) have been happily married since '78, an accomplishment I credit to doing what you're told. For example, I've never been to "Hooters" because Debbie told me in no uncertain terms: "Don't you go in there!"

But I'm no wimp. I'm a man and proud of it. Whenever I pass a Hooters restaurant, I make a point to drive by slow -- real slow!

Debbie is a real trooper. She goes on the road with me summers when I do the comedy club circuit. We love the beaches.

Since graduation from Tech, I've been teaching Physical Education and Coaching football and wrestling. It's wonderful to be a part of other people's growth and development.

Shy myself as a youth, I started doing Open Mike shows in Williamsburg, Virginia in '92 after repeatedly getting big laughs at high school banquets, local talent shows and fund raisers. Auditions with "America's Funniest People" and "Star Search" pushed me even further. Now I work comedy clubs along the east coast, reserving my long distance engagements for summer breaks from teaching.

And I do lots of benefits. If it's a local benefit, I donate my time for free.

I plan to retire from teaching in 2008 and devote full time to my "other" career as comic and motivational speaker. What better suits a retired Coach. 

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