| What is your most memorable childhood experience? | For me, going to my uncle’s farmhouse for Thanksgivings and Christmases is one of my more memorable reoccurring childhood memories. He had a 10-acre farm with sheep, peacocks, a few cows, and a large, well-appointed house. It all seemed very exotic to me, merely growing up in a suburb. Every year he would host one or the other holiday for his immediate and extended families, as well as close friends. There would be an extra-long table setup in the dining room and place settings for at least 20 people if not more. Fine China, silverware, linen napkins, all the stops were pulled out for this affair. My young cousins and I would roam around the large house, exploring the various curiosities in all the rooms and listen to the adults speak of a world we, as children, had yet to enter. The party would go well into the night and typically would result in me being well and truly out of energy by the time it was time to make the return trip home. |
| What immediate family member do you closely identify with and why? | I’d say I most closely identify with my father. He was a strong, intelligent, and compassionate man. He always went out of his way to help those in need and include those that might otherwise have been outside a group. Ultimately, my father was a healer. Whether it was in his capacity as a psychologist or as a minister, he attempted to heal and make better the world around him. That more than anything is what I most identify with him: the desire to make things better. |
| What character traits do you admire in an individual? | Loyalty and empathy are two very important characteristics for me. Loyalty is about being true to oneself and to others in word and deed. It is ultimately about trust, a thing hard won and easily lost. To be loyal to someone or something is a rare and important quality. Empathy is also very important to me because I believe no person is an island and even a stranger in need still impacts me. One cannot have unlimited empathy as that will result in keeping nothing for oneself, but one always has to at least have the ability to feel what someone else is feeling and be able to see things from another person’s perspective. |
| What is the funniest thing ever to happen to you? | I was with the guys from my crew team my freshman year of college and we had gone done to Orlando, FL for winter break to train on the water there. At the end of that week, we went to the theme parks. While in line for a rollercoaster, maybe 3 people behind my group of 12-15 guys, was Dan Marino and his family. We were all muttering to ourselves about how we should react when I said “Hey guys, he is just here trying to have a good time with his family. Let us not totally blow up his spot here.” Immediately after this my one friend points at him and yells “Ahhhh! Isotoners! Laces out! Laces out!” (A reference to his old TV commercials and his appearance in the first Ace Ventura movie that had come out maybe 6 years before that time). Well, he was incredibly gracious and gave us a chuckle and a wave. We all had a good laugh about it and went on our way. |
| If time and money were not an issue, where would you travel and why? | I would travel to the old cities and capitals of Europe. I’ve always been a fan of history so to stand in the place of history, to see those places, and sometimes to touch those places, would really be a thrill to me. I’d especially like to visit Ireland (where my family is from), Italy, France, and Austria. |
| When and if you ever have children, what would you like to pass on to them? | I hope they’d be tall and strong like I am, but insofar as values are concerned, I hope I’d pass on the motto “To be a man or woman for others.” Particularly, I’d hope they would have compassion and concern for those of less ability, means, or presence than I imagine they themselves would have. I hope they would be strong, physically and mentally, so they could make the world around them a better place. |
