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For those who don't know me, I became very interested in plants and animals at an early age, and those interests have propelled me into career that has become more of a passion than a job. During my early life, every summer I visited my uncle back in Michigan. His kids (my cousins) thought I was a little strange because of all the enjoyment I got from helping out with the hot dirty farm work. My uncle taught me how to drive a tractor, and talked with me about soils, fertilizers, crop rotation, raising cows and pigs, etc.
When I was about 12, my folks bought a 4-acre avocado grove in Vista, CA. Although I lived at the beach and loved it, I couldn't wait to spend nearly every weekend at the Vista grove. Although my Dad had left farming behind in Michigan, to become an engineer, he missed farm life too, and enjoyed passing along his boyhood farm experiences and knowledge to me. Soon we added over an acre of protea and raised chayote squash commercially. Our animals included horses, goats, chickens, ducks, peacocks, finches, Rottweilers, my favorite black Lab named "Joe" and even an old donkey named "Wanda." We also started a cactus and succulent collection with about 200 varieties-some are still living. I always love to reminisce about how important farm life was to my childhood.
When it became time for college, taking up Ornamental Horticulture at Orange Coast College seemed like an obvious thing to do. As a student, I worked part-time for the College, and also started up a small landscaping business called Environmental Enhancement. The instructors at Orange Coast College continued to fuel my passion for horticulture, and I owe much of my success to them. After receiving a degree from OCC, I subsequently received a BS in Ornamental Horticulture from Cal Poly-Pomona, and soon started pushing my business to include landscape design, installation, maintenance, and consulting. To supplement my skills, I also became a licensed contractor, Certified Arborist, and CA Licensed Pesticide Advisor.
During my career, it gradually dawned on me that one of the favorite parts of my business was consulting with people, conducting seminars, and passing along my personal knowledge. The idea of teaching kept popping up on a daily basis, until I finally was lucky enough to find a part-time instructor position at Orange Coast College. I enjoyed it so much--especially the interaction with eager-to- learn students. Eventually an expanded full-time opportunity became available, and I was very fortunate to win the competition. I couldn't be more pleased for the opportunity to marry my education, a lifetime of "farming passion" and 20-years managing a landscaping business to satisfy today's needs within the community for excellent instruction in Ornamental Horticulture.
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