Who I am

I grew up on the Bozeman Pass, alongside the railroad. We raised pigs, we helped our neighbors with their cows, we supported our family with hunting and fishing. It wasn’t until playing sports for Park High that I got a chance to see many other Montana communities and later became a basketball coach myself. In high school, my folks moved us to Missoula, where I continued my education, earning both my degrees at the University of Montana. As a teacher, I taught about Montana, U.S. government, and world history at MCPS, UM, MC and FVCC. During summer breaks, I guided students experientially on the Lewis and Clark trail for Antioch University, tracing segments of their journey.

I'm an ordinary Montanan, not unlike most people who call this place home. I'm not a millionaire. I stocked grocery store shelves at night and worked retail to get myself through college. I climbed telephone poles and dug holes for the railroad from Essex to Glendive, put up hay and installed irrigation pipe in the Flathead Valley, and even did a stint at the paper mill. I’ve counseled at Boy’s State in Dillon, a special needs camp, and Camp Fire Girls at Seeley Lake. After my wife Nancy died of cancer 10 years ago, with a lot of help, I started the Cancer Support Community in Missoula. Montana is home. Montana’s people are my neighbors.