I was born and raised in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I have an older sister and an older brother. My father worked in a grocery store as a butcher. The store was owned by his brother-in-law. As is typical with many family-run businesses my uncle and my dad worked long hours. The store was like a second home to me. My mother was a garment worker at a local factory. While her work days were not as long my fathers, they were nonetheless exhausting. Mom's real day began when she walked out of the factory and came home to tend to the household chores. I credit much of who I am today to the work ethic and commitment to family that my mother and father instilled on me.
Mom and Dad's biggest goal in life was to ensure that my sister, brother, and I had the opportunity to go to college. Their dream of a college education for their children was realized. My sister went on to become a registered nurse and eventually obtained a PhD. She is now a professor at a local college. My brother went on to become a teacher/guidance counselor. I went on to the University of Scranton to study accounting.
A funny thing happened to me on my way to getting my accounting degree. Along the way I had to take a computer science course. Back then, computer science was much easier and I fell in love with it immediately. Since I was taught to never be a quitter I decided the only course of action to take was to pursue a double major in accounting and computer science.
Computer science was not the only thing I feel in love with at the University. It was there that I met my future wife. She was also a computer science major. Actually she was a math major that decided to pursue a double major in Computer Science. She was one year behind me, but because I started my computer science degree late we were in many of the same classes.
After college I accepted a position with IBM as programmer and moved to Poughkeepsie, New York. I worked there for 18 months before transferring to Endicott, New York. Nearly 32 years latter I am still employed by IBM Endicott as a programmer, although technically I am called a software engineer. A few years after moving to Endicott I received a Master of Science degree in Computer and Information Sciences from Syracuse University.
I married the girl that caught my eye at the University of Scranton. We lived in an apartment in Endicott for a few years and then moved to the sprawling town of Owego, NY where we still live today. As you might have gleamed from the pictures above, I have been blessed with 3 terrific children. Following in my parent's footsteps they are the center of my life. My oldest son graduated from the University of Scranton and is currently a graduate student at Harvard University. My younger son is currently a sophomore at the University of Scranton. My daughter is a junior at the local high school.
Mom and Dad's biggest goal in life was to ensure that my sister, brother, and I had the opportunity to go to college. Their dream of a college education for their children was realized. My sister went on to become a registered nurse and eventually obtained a PhD. She is now a professor at a local college. My brother went on to become a teacher/guidance counselor. I went on to the University of Scranton to study accounting.
A funny thing happened to me on my way to getting my accounting degree. Along the way I had to take a computer science course. Back then, computer science was much easier and I fell in love with it immediately. Since I was taught to never be a quitter I decided the only course of action to take was to pursue a double major in accounting and computer science.
Computer science was not the only thing I feel in love with at the University. It was there that I met my future wife. She was also a computer science major. Actually she was a math major that decided to pursue a double major in Computer Science. She was one year behind me, but because I started my computer science degree late we were in many of the same classes.
After college I accepted a position with IBM as programmer and moved to Poughkeepsie, New York. I worked there for 18 months before transferring to Endicott, New York. Nearly 32 years latter I am still employed by IBM Endicott as a programmer, although technically I am called a software engineer. A few years after moving to Endicott I received a Master of Science degree in Computer and Information Sciences from Syracuse University.
I married the girl that caught my eye at the University of Scranton. We lived in an apartment in Endicott for a few years and then moved to the sprawling town of Owego, NY where we still live today. As you might have gleamed from the pictures above, I have been blessed with 3 terrific children. Following in my parent's footsteps they are the center of my life. My oldest son graduated from the University of Scranton and is currently a graduate student at Harvard University. My younger son is currently a sophomore at the University of Scranton. My daughter is a junior at the local high school.