I am the oldest and laziest of the group. A few years ago, I retired with 37 years of service with a major petroleum company. That has allowed me almost unlimited time to procrastinate with impunity. I shoot what I want, when I want… and whatever my wife tells me to shoot. My wife works a ridiculous number of hours each week while I don’t. (I just love saying that.)

With my first paycheck of my first job (a paper route in 7th grade), I bought my first camera — a Kodak Instamatic 124 camera for about $17. While in college, I bought my first SLR camera – the first of eight Nikon cameras I own. 

I am a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. I was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma back in the 1900s. I’ve lived in 15 different cities/towns in five different states. I now live in northeastern Oklahoma near Bartlesville. 

In addition to photography, my other obsessions include researching the American Civil War in Indian Territory (present Oklahoma), Cherokee and Indian Territory history, my father’s unit in the Pacific Theater during World War II, … and naps. 

It’s an honor to be in company with such great photographers. Their skill and knowledge and passion for the art is inspiring.