FAMILY AND PERSONAL

My wife Mutsuko (Rosie) is a native of Tokyo, Japan and has operated a restaurant and a beauty salon in Escondido.

Daughter Emiko is a graduate of USC and a former computer systems manager. She is married to David Jaffe, who is a computer game designer. (If you are a Playstation gamer, David is the creator of Twisted Metal I, II, and Black; and God of War.) They made us grandparents in July 2003, when Sara Anne joined the family, and again when Kate Mei came along in September 2005.

I’ve always loved the ocean, which is not remarkable except that I grew up in central Illinois and did not see a body of water larger than Lake Michigan until I was a grown man. As a boy, I was fascinated by the earth itself—the rocks, fossils, landforms, etc. and drilling rigs that could reach deep into the earth for water, oil, and gas. When I was old enough to attend college, I disappointed my parents by majoring in geology at the University of Missouri, Rolla. (They wanted me to study agriculture so I could take over the family farm.)

My career in the oil field was cut short after five months by Uncle Sam’s Southeast Asia Travel Bureau. To stay a step ahead of the draft board, I enlisted in the Navy. I attended Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI, and submarine school in Groton, CT. I then served on a WWII-vintage submarine based in San Diego and at shore duty stations in Long Beach and Sasebo, Japan.

After my release from the Navy, there was little work available in the petroleum industry, but I found a good job back in IL with a major gas utility company exploring for underground gas storage structures. As a reward for helping to find enough structures, I was laid off. I then returned to college at Cal State Long Beach to pursue my Master’s in geology. After one quarter of studies (and delivering pizza to support my family), I was fortunate to find a position with the Deep Sea Drilling Project at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. It was my dream job, combining geology, the ocean, ships, and drilling rigs—plus world travel.

I remained with DSDP for ten years, sailing on the drill ship Glomar Challenger as Cruise Operations Manager until the science operator contract was lost to Texas A&M University and the new Ocean Drilling Program was formed. The new program hired me for a similar operations position aboard the newer and larger JOIDES Resolution drill ship, and I spent an additional 10-1/2 years at TAMU, finally completing requirements for my MS degree in 1994.

In 1995, I retired from the drilling program (after 46 two-month cruises) and moved back to Escondido. Since then I have taught geology, oceanography, and physical science at Palomar and MiraCosta Colleges on a part-time basis.

I enjoy ocean fishing, field trips, hiking, and skiing.