I was born in 1948 (a long time ago) in Philadelphia, the first son in our family. My brother Paul came along a couple of years later. Then came my brother Ed and then my brother Bob. But that is not the end of our family. My Mom had an older sister Dolly, who had a son, my cousin Butch (his real name is Nelson). When I was 5 or 6, both my Aunt and Uncle died. Butch then became my older brother.

I grew up in Northeast Philadelphia. I went to St. Jerome's grade school and then Father Judge High School (1962-1966). I attended Drexel Institute of Technology. It changed it's name to Drexel University while I was there (1966-1971).

I started out as a Chemistry major, but quickly switched to Biology. I became interested in the environment and so continued on at Drexel towards a Doctor's degree in Environmental Science (1971-1974). Along the way, however, I decided to get a Master's degree and leave school, taking my chances in the real world.

I met my wife Maria during my senior year at Drexel. A bunch of my friends went down the shore for a week. Besides a sun tan, I came back with a friendship and love which would last to this day. Other things in my life have changed, but Maria has always been there.