I grew up and currently live in La Mesa, California. I graduated from Helix High School, UC San Diego – Revelle College (B.A. Psychology, Minor Biology), University of Oregon (J.D. with Statements of Completion in (1) Environmental and Natural Resources Law, and (2) Ocean and Coastal Law), University of Utah (LL.M. in Energy Law) and SDSU (teacher education program). I was an attorney for about 15 years practicing at the Office of the Idaho Attorney General - Natural Resources Division, the Law Offices of Jan I. Goldsmith (San Diego), and Hillyer & Irwin (San Diego) where I practiced for about 11 years and became a shareholder. I practiced primarily environmental law as well as general civil litigation, landlord tenant law, and bankruptcy law.
In 1998 I changed professions and became a teacher. While I enjoyed the intellectual challenge of practicing law, I was looking for something less adversarial and more personally rewarding. I have California single subject credentials in life science and social studies as well as a multiple subject credential. I have taught middle school pre-algebra and algebra for fifteen years, high school level Geometry for three years, middle school science (earth science, life science and physical science) for 4 years, computers to grades K-8 for 5 years, and after school electronics and robotics for grades 1-8. I have taught in public school, parochial school and private school. I retired in 2019.
My academic interests have always been varied. I took four years each of English, German, Social Studies, Science and Math in high school. I specifically choose UC San Diego – Revelle College because it provided “broad liberal arts education” with “a firm grounding in the major disciplines of the sciences, humanities, arts, and social sciences.” In addition to my psychology classes, my education at UCSD included 20 units of Chemistry including labs, 12 units of Physics, Geology, Botany, Plant Ecology, Ocean Ecology, Genetics, Macro Economics, Micro Economics, Wilderness Studies, Calculus for math and science majors, Statistics, Computer Programming, and 24 units of Humanities (Literature and History). Instead of going to law school, I almost went into forestry having been admitted to the forestry program at UC Berkeley where I participated in their summer field program. A bit of a nerd, I still enjoy reading non-fiction, especially about math, science, technology, and the environment.
I have been happily married for over 40 years. I have two wonderful grown sons. I have one dog - a wonderful and very friendly German Shepherd mix rescue dog that came all the way from Turkey! Previously, we had a German Shepherd that sadly passed away in February 2016 after being our loyal companion for over 12 years. My favorite hobby is photography. I remember using the family Kodak Instamatic 104 when I was a kid, my own Minolta 600X Instamatic when I was 14, and finally a used Pentax H3v when I was 17. Photography is a wonderful mix of technology where optics and chemistry, and now electronics, freeze an instant of time. The beauty is not only in the final image, but also in the process of focusing the photographer’s attention on the essence of the scene. I am also fascinated by technology remembering with fondness when the first calculators and then personal computers came out. While we often associate new electronic devices with entertainment today, they have tremendously aided science and business in the last several decades. These interests and my teaching were the motivation behind the creation of this Web site in 2004. I collect vintage computers, calculators, cameras, typewriters and bicycles and then display them on the online museums in this Web site. In addition to photography, computers, collecting and the Web site, I enjoy hiking, bicycling, canoeing, kayaking, and nature. In 2016 I also earned my General Class Ham Radio License, KM6BXQ. I'm still learning the ropes about this new hobby.
I am also passionate about the need to help conserve resources and protect the environment. I proudly have had solar voltaic cells on my roof since 2006 and drive a 2018 Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In hybrid car. Prior to that, I had a 2005 Toyota Prius. In February 2022 my 18 year old gas water heater failed. I replaced it with a A.O. Smith HPTU-50N 130 electric heat pump water heater that operates like an air conditioner in reverse. Carini Heating, Air and Plumbing installed it. Heat pump water heaters are very efficient and, since they use electricity, allow for our transition away from fossil fuels. Many plumbers and contractors are not familiar with heat pump water heaters. Further, you may need electrical upgrades. I therefore recommend arranging to install one prior to your old water heater failing. Heat pump water heaters are currently more expensive, although mine qualified for a $3,100 rebate.
During retirement I became a docent at the San Diego Natural History Museum in 2020. I thoroughly enjoyed the training process to become a docent. I have served on the docent council since 2021 and since July 2023 I have been the docent council president. Since 2022 I have also been a member of the Tuesday Outreach Team which travels to schools teaching about the natural history of our area. I also lead tours in the museum and participate in the Docent Ambassador Program interacting with visitors at various exhibits within the museum. In the fall of 2021, I also became a San Diego Natural History Museum Canyoneer participating in the rigorous ten week training program. Canyoneers lead interpretive hikes throughout San Diego County. In 2020 I also proudly completed the Wilderness Basics Course (WBC) of the San Diego Chapter of the Sierra Club which included primitive camping and backpacking in Anza Borrego State Park. I completed the WBC again in 2022, this time including the snow camp which was cancelled in 2020 as a result of the Covid shutdown in March 2020. In 2022 I also went on Sierra Club bus trips to the Mammoth Lakes area and to the Sedona, Arizona area.
