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About Me Born in the Mission District of San Francisco, I moved to Los Angeles in the early 50's. In Los Angeles I lived in a neighborhood near the USC/Exposition Park area. We watched the neighborhood change from predominately white to black and later Hispanic. I remember the trips downtown with my mother by trolley cars during the Xmas season to see the animated department store displays. I was a boy when I witnessed the the building or the Harbor Freeway and infamous Watts Riot. I remember the looting and burning, the raid on the Black Panthers, the coming of the California National Guard. My father is an architect, working in downtown and around 1963 began building his own home in the hills above South Pasadena. In the fall of 1966 I was thrust into a new environment of the suburbs, a mostly white and middle class community. In South Pasadena, I felt like a fish out of water. My first days in South Pasadena High School was a major experience for me. I wore black slacks, button shirts, pointed black shoes, while the other students wore tennis short, sneakers, and what seem to me, a totally cliquish atmosphere. Academically, I went from a A student in my L. A junior high to a C student in height school and was never able to do much better. I was never in the mainstream in height school. I had a small circle of friends that centered around Mr. Titus's classes in photography and the Radio Club. Another major influence was a Hiking Club where I met Don Morris and Mitch Castile. Photography and hiking was the most influencing factors in the rest of my life. In the summer of 1969 after graduation we did the Muir Trail, or more like as much as we could do. The previous winter had record amounts of snow in the Sierras and or plans of 15 to 20 miles a day turned to maybe 7 or less miles a day. Our trails were heavily damaged and avlaches cover the trails with miles of fallen trees. Much of the trip also consisted of snow, snow bridges, white-out on passes and more snow. We never completed the Muir Trail but I did in later years in bits and pieces. I started PCC in that fall. My love of photography and outdoors was still strong and started a path to being a photographer. I joined a college group call the Highlanders, then a distant relation to the Hundred Peaks section of the Sierra Club lead by a Mr Mohn. I learned how to survive in the wilderness and how to rock climb. I later took the Sierra Club Wilderness training classes. At PCC I met Liza Anderson, another outdoor enthusiast and together we ran off to Yosemite to rock climb. We worked for Yosemite Park Curry Company and hiked and climbed on our time off. I later wanted a darkroom and found one at the park offices. On thing lead to another and I ended working for the interpretive department at Yosemite National Park. While working at the park in the early 70's I met Joe Coho. He worked also for the interpretive department taking park visitors on walks and programs. He has become one of my oldest friends. Later I returned to the Pasadena area and finished PCC and headed to Long Beach State for a major in Graphic Design. While attending school I worked as a production artist at Ready Reproduction, a printing company. At this time I was a member of the Sierra Club Long Beach Group's Cal State Long Beach Campus group. There I and Janet Wiltz lead a trip to climb the eighteen thousand foot peaks in Mexico. At Long Beach State, I met Carol Dennison in the on the campus
Sierra Club (part of the Sierra Club Long Beach Group). I married
her in .... |
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