I was originally trained in chemistry and psychology, earning bachelor's degrees in both from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. From there, I entered graduate school at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, where I earned a master's degree and Ph.D. in physical inorganic chemistry.
A normal progression took me to Ames Laboratory (USDOE) at Iowa State University for a year of postdoctoral work before launching my teaching career at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where I spent 12 years. Then, I met an Indiana girl and moved to Saint Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana and remained there until the school's closure in 2017. In the meantime, I started getting interested in genealogy, researching my own family. Through various lineage societies, I started doing genealogical research for others, too. It only seemed reasonable to go into genealogy as a 2nd career after the closure of Saint Joe.
To most, training in chemistry and then doing genealogy might seem a major leap, but it's not. My training concentrated on the use of logic and problem solving. Even my later research in theoretical drug chemistry hinged on logic and problem solving, the exact skills required in genealogy.
In 2018, in order to gain skills appropriate for a professional genealogist, I completed Boston University's Certificate in Genealogical Research. It filled in the holes in my reasoning skills and focused them on genealogical questions. I had been doing genealogy for about 25 years, anyway, so it was a perfect cap to my training.
I also have participated in continuing education:
A normal progression took me to Ames Laboratory (USDOE) at Iowa State University for a year of postdoctoral work before launching my teaching career at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where I spent 12 years. Then, I met an Indiana girl and moved to Saint Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana and remained there until the school's closure in 2017. In the meantime, I started getting interested in genealogy, researching my own family. Through various lineage societies, I started doing genealogical research for others, too. It only seemed reasonable to go into genealogy as a 2nd career after the closure of Saint Joe.
To most, training in chemistry and then doing genealogy might seem a major leap, but it's not. My training concentrated on the use of logic and problem solving. Even my later research in theoretical drug chemistry hinged on logic and problem solving, the exact skills required in genealogy.
In 2018, in order to gain skills appropriate for a professional genealogist, I completed Boston University's Certificate in Genealogical Research. It filled in the holes in my reasoning skills and focused them on genealogical questions. I had been doing genealogy for about 25 years, anyway, so it was a perfect cap to my training.
I also have participated in continuing education:
- Rootstech - an annual intensive set of seminars and workshops in Salt Lake City.
- Genealogical Society conferences, such as hosted by the Ohio Genealogical Society and others.
- Association of Professional Genealogists meetings and workshops.
- Webinars from a variety of sources, including the New England Historical Genealogical Society.