I am an ear, nose and throat physician practicing in my hometown of Freeport, Illinois. I am married and we have two daughters.
I was born the same year Sputnik flew and, like so many my age, grew up interested in the pictures from space in my grandfather's Life Magazine, or my parents' National Geographic.
My specific field of expertise (and I use the term somewhat glibly, as I'm an amateur) is in the spacesuits of Mercury through ASTP. I got into this area after seeing some poorly labelled suits displayed around the country.
This led me to a short trip to the Paul Garber facility (the storage areas of the National Air & Space Museum) in Suitland, Maryland. I would like to think that my gentle illumination of some flaws in their catalog contributed to the extensive inventory they have done on their suits in recent years. However, I have not been a part of that work.
My undergrad degrees are in biology, chemistry and math from Western Illinois University, and my MD is from the University of Illinois College of Medicine.
July 2005