about my dad Before I start, I want to mention that I chose to put this page up. He agonized over a page about himself in the workshop announcement. He wanted to give himself some credibility for those who didn't know anything about him, but he found the idea of blowing his own horn distasteful. Ultimately, he chose to omit a "resume" page and to take his chances with word-of-mouth. But I'm the webmaster. So I put this here... a little bit removed from the actual workshop announcement. For me, it's a chance to talk about how cool my dad is. Work The first, most noticable thing about him, is that this man has limitless energy. He's doing more in retirement than most people do in their prime. He was, by profession, a mechanical engineer working on jet engines with Pratt & Whitney. The latter part of his career was centered on flight safety which got him involved with the NTSB and FAA. He participated in many different engine failure/reliability studies and accident investigations around the world. But, in my opinion, this work got in the way of what he really wanted to do... Play He has been an avid hobbyist and craftsman all his life. His hobbies have included camping & backpacking, remote control airplanes, antique car restoration, windsurfing, amateur radio, and flying name a few. But he's really found a home in astronomy. He made a telescope back in high school, wrote a term paper about its mirror in college, and then let it collect dust most of his adult life. The Astronomy But several years ago, he found a friend with vast stores of mirror making knowledge both in his mind and his collection of literature. Something dormant inside my dad immediately came back to life. All of his skills, abilities, and enthusiasm have been focused on telescope making and astronomy since. He's made several improvements to his testing techniques and made several more telescopes including a Cassegrain. Sure, he still dabbles in just about anything that crosses his path. But when left to his own devices, it's astronomy. The workshop is a product of this interest. Please. He'd love for you to join him. You'll find alot more than just astronomy when you meet him.