1971, October 8th… I meet Katie.  She would change my life forever.  I was a junior.  I had taken every drawing class and printmaking class.  I had taken side trips into stained glass, and even wood working.  It was Fall and I needed an Art Elective.  Katie said to me, “How about Photography?  I took it in high school, and it was a lot of fun.”  - WORDS I WILL NEVER FORGET.  I settled into Photography I with Dr. Robert Steinen.  He was an impressive stentorian, but he did not care much for actual instruction.  He showed us where the darkrooms were… gave us a sheet of assignments and went back into his office.  I really loved working in the darkroom.  It was so disconnected from the rest of the world.   I didn’t get much feedback from Dr. Steinen, but he was not impressed with my work.  Received a “C” in my first Photography class – surprised, and disappointed wasn’t a big enough word.  I was ready to quit and go back to drawing.  Katie said, “Take Photo II, it’s a different professor” - another great piece of advice.  Did I mention that I would marry her?  This class was taught by Thomas Eckersley, a great hands-on instructor.  His office door was always open, and he was ready to explain anything.  If we are lucky, at some point we get a teacher who marks our lives.  He is largely responsible for focusing me into photography as an artist and a career. 

I graduated from SUNY Oswego in 1975, with a degree in Fine Art.  Katie and I were married in July of 1975.  The job market was tight, so I took a position as Camera Department Manager for a large “box store”.  This experience led to a sales job with Severance Photo, a more professional camera store.  Severance catered to schools, colleges, and professional studios.  It was a great place for making contacts.  While there, I soon instituted the “Severance School of Photography” where I taught personal classes.  This led to me being sent to teach workshops at local high schools and colleges.  I was even lent out to the local Police School to teach new recruits crime scene photography.  Soon, I was offered a job teaching at the local college.  This led to a full-time teaching position in1978, and I have taught ever since.  It has been, and still is, a wonderful journey.