My Parents. Helen -- my mom -- a strong woman --  taught me assertiveness, bravery, and how to fight.  She fought recurrent breast cancer for some 15 years before her death in 1988.  Bob -- my dad, who died a year later -- was a quiet man of man of faith dedicated to his family who taught me to look on the brighter side of life and to be open-minded and tolerant. 

My little sister. Beth -- 14 years younger than I -- has struggled to employ her college training in a career in education where good jobs are hard to find.  She lives in suburban Washington, DC.

My wife.  Julia -- a bookkeeper and administrator -- has taught me organizational skills.  She likes hard work and helping people.  We share common interests in good food and wine, movies, and novels.

Libertarian.  Barry Goldwater informed my radical views about individual freedom:  "Extremism in defense of liberty is not vice.   Moderation in pursuit of justice is no virture."

Social Justice Advocate. Martin Luther King raised my awareness and heighted my understanding of the plight of the poor, the root causes of economic and social injustice, and differences in cultures of people.

Theologian. John Calvin's thinking constructed the framework of my religious tradition which emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the sinfulness of humanity, and individual conscience informed by the the Biblically-revealed Word read and understood in the presence of the Holy Spirit.  In the Christian Reformed faith, action is eqully as important as worship because God demands obedience.