Oldest of six children. Grandparents were Southern Baptist missionaries to China. Father served with U.S. Army during W.W. II and later retired from the Army Reserve as LtCol. Mother served in the Navy during W.W. II with the office which cracked the Japanese message code.
Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy in 1969. Served tours of duty in the USAF as a Fighter Pilot, Instructor Pilot, and Engineer. Retired from the USAF in 1989 at Mather AFB, CA.
Joined United Airlines in 1989 as Flight Operations Instructor on the Boeing 767 and 757 aircraft. Flew domestic and international line operations as a copilot on the B-767/757 and as Captain on the B-737 and B-767/757. Now retired.