Originally from Aurora, Illinois, I grew up in a musical family. My dad was a band director in Aurora for over 40 years. My mom was a professor of voice at Aurora University. As for me, I graduated from Drake University in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Drake is where I really learned to love the French Horn. I enlisted in the United States Air Force in November 1986 to become an instrumentalist in the Air Force band program. I retired three years ago after just over 20 years of active duty service. My assignments included the Tactical Air Command Band at Langley AFB in Hampton, Virginia, the United States Air Forces in Europe Band at Einsiedlerhof AS near Kaiserslautern, Germany, the Band of the Golden West at March AFB in Moreno Valley, California, the Heartland of America Band at Offutt AFB in Bellevue, Nebraska and finally, the Heritage of America Band returning again to Langley. My touring took me as far east as Kyrgyzstan in Southwest Asia and as far west as Sequoia National Forest in California and I have performed in countless places in between. My primary employer is Bob Rogers Travel (a student travel planner), I teach privately, and perform as a freelance musician in the Des Moines area.