"My Dad, an outdoorsman with only a 10th grade education, took me hunting, fishing, and camping as soon as I could walk. He was not a “herper” but he knew that only two snakes were poisonous in the Appalachians of northern NJ: the Copperhead and Timber Rattlesnake. He reasoned that if you could identify these two, all others were safe. His respect for all things wild showed when he made me stop (at 6 years old) and watch a Copperhead cross the path in front of us. He made no attempt to kill it.
Instead, he told me “they won’t chase you and they have their place in the forest.” The seed was planted for a life long fascination of the natural world, especially reptiles and amphibians. My first limited herping on my own was at 8 years old in 1956. ( And that’s a ’55 Pontiac) "

"Almost all my specimens were destroyed in an enemy rocket attack, but I did get a meager handful home and donated them to the Smithsonian National Museum."

"When I returned to the US, and returned to civilian life, my new wife and I moved to Ocala Florida. My plan was to work at Silver Springs Reptile Institute, while going to college. I networked with several prominent herpetologists, but I won’t list them; most are dead now."

"It turns out that I found better work opportunities at the Telephone Company."

"Without boring you with details, fate took me away from a career in herpetology and conscious choice took me into a more lucrative career in electronics and telecommunications. (A new daughter was a significant factor!)"

"I kept herping privately and networked less and less, although I still had long chats with Ross Allen at his retirement Alligator farm just north of Silver Springs."