Here is the obligatory staid photograph that one expects in such biographical sections. The cat insisted on being included in the picture and won her point when she pulled a knife on me.
I was born in Hollywood, California, and while this did not make me a movie star, it did catapult me into the twisted Southern California environment where I was raised. I did my graduate work at the University of California, Riverside, and have been with the European Division of the University of Maryland since 1981. My principal areas of interest are the history of Modern Germany and the Soviet Union, although I have also taught and studied American history extensively.
During 2000-2003 I served as the Distance Education faculty representative on the UMUC-Europe Faculty Advisory Council. It was there that I worked closely with Bob Hollweg, Ron Schlundt, and later Tevis Nolting in negotiating with administration over issues such as pay, employee benefits, university policy, and matters concerning classroom instruction. In 2005 I was elected as one of the Europe Division's three faculty representatives on UMUC's global FAC, and I still serve on that body today.
I currently live in Bamberg, Germany.
Here is the obligatory staid photograph that one expects in such biographical sections. The cat insisted on being included in the picture and won her point when she pulled a knife on me.
This photograph, taken when I was eight years old, is an historic document in itself; it shows me wearing a pre-modern buzz cut --the style which my father introduced to his male children during the post-war years. The photo also shows me holding an expired fish.
This candid shot was taken as Beverly Brinn and I prepared a fish pot-luck dish for the annual Bamberg Street Fest. The recipe, which featured the fish in the preceding photo, was a solid success. While this cooking triumph dazzled both friends and acquaintances, the street fest itself was marred by an unexplained outbreak of salmonella.
