I was born in Primrose, Iowa and served in the US Navy as a carpenter in World War II. It was at this point that I contracted rheumatic fever and was bedridden for nearly six months. After my discharge I went to school to become a diesel mechanic. Although the trade was fulfilling I felt an urge to return to nature, and I moved to Oregon to work at a sheep ranch. I would soon attempt to start my own cattle ranch on Shuyak Island, Alaska. That failed miserably, and I took a job as a heavy equipment operator and repairman on the naval base at Kodiak. For the next couple of years I held jobs as both a diesel mechanic and salmon fisherman. I also held a position with the Fish and Wildlife Service at King Salmon. After a machinery accident I retired to Twin Lakes, Alaska in 1967. It was here that I survived for the next 32 years. I made many animal friends. I built everything that I needed and lived quite happily. In 1999, the winters became too hard for my aging body and I have since moved south to live with my brother. Although I now reside in California, my heart will always be in Twin Lakes.
