About my web site

History was never the dried bones of ancestors. I've been where it happened—walked among the memories and talked to the ghosts. It's a living, breathing dragon, in whose mouth is trapped the present, as the future is captured for realities we may not appreciate or recognize, or may wish we had more time to enjoy.

These pages are filled with pioneers who changed life with their efforts—in travel, in vocation, in entertainment. In mettle and steel. In fortitude and courage. In faith. Some found themselves at exactly the right place, some at the right time—with skills that made a significant difference, that changed the flow of history.

On this web site, I've documented figures whose contributions affected me in ways intellectual or emotional. My pioneers include:

• Modeste Moussorgsky—reprobate and genius romantic composer
• W.H. Jackson—ground-breaking photographer
• Dan Cooper—parachuting hobbyist who made the Boeing 727 famous
• Pathfinder Otto Mears—champagne importer and toll-road builder
• William J. Palmer—Civil War hero philanthropist and visionary railroad builder
• The unsung heroes of the Eighth Air Force—who created an aircraft legend as they won a war

I could go on …

Future projects include Colonel Andrew J. Russell, U.S. Army photographer, who in 1869 took the famous photo of the driving of the Golden Spike. I'd like to broaden the Kuchka section with a bio for Nicolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov. There's an early '70s all-girl band—Fanny—which defined (and still defines) the tone of womens' rock music. And I have ever so much more railroad history to get into writing.

This web site is also the living history of my life and career. It serves as my portfolio. Now that I've finished graduate school, I look forward to capitalizing on my Master of Arts in organizational management. Here you'll find a showcase of my work, professional skills and experiences, and accomplishments.

As you read and view, as you see for yourself how I feel about history, please let me know what you enjoyed. Most of all, keep coming back—there will always more to come.

This web site is lovingly dedicated to Frank Stillo (1944-2002 and Alva Lyons (1897-1990).