Age 17 — 19: Served (Navy) onboard USS Albert David, FF-1050 (revised Destroyer), trained primarily in ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare).
San Diego was called home (port), though spent most of enlistment on deployment in the South Pacific’s 7th Fleet (Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Okinawa, Subic-Bay Philippines, Kwajalein Atoll (Marshall Islands), Guam & finally… Pearl Harbor, Hawaii – finishing tour in Puget Sound Naval Shipyard – Bremerton, WA. (though, of all those truly amazing, ethnically diverse cultures I was privileged to enjoy—Glacier Bay, Alaska was like nothing else I’ve ever experienced (maybe not culturally, but aesthetically).
Age 24 — 34: Advertising Account Executive (sales guy) for 10 years, 8 years with the same company—YellowBook, USA
Age 34 — Present: Apple Certified Tech / Network & Systems Administrator. At 5 year benchmark in I.T., began supporting multi (all) platforms (Windows, Linux/BSD UNIX, Android, now iOS), Networking, and Server Administration. All this said, I brand myself primarily as Apple/Mac-centric… but can’t turn down a good troubleshooting challenge on Windows and UNIX systems.
Among crowning achievements: (to date)
- Father of the MOST beautiful daughter in this world, inside and out.
- Learned how to hit a 90-mph fastball.
- Owner of 1972 Vintage Sunburst Fender Stratocaster.
- Survived attending High School in the Seventies.
Among favorite books: Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet.
Among favorite movies: Dead Poets Society.
Among favorite lyrics in a Rock & Roll tune: “The highway’s jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive—everybody’s out on the run tonight but there’s no place left to hide.”
Among favorite music: Everything….but the soul-awakening, raw energy that I feel when both listening to—and playing with—musicians who enjoy exploring improvisation-ally (Blues, Jazz, etc.) are unparalleled mood alterers for me.
Among favorite quotes:
- “Great minds talk about ideas; average minds talk about things; small minds talk about people.” —Eleanor Roosevelt.
- “Joy shared is joy doubled. Pain shared is pain halved”. —Unknown
- “We have two ears and one mouth, that we might listen twice and speak once.” —Unknown
- “The road not taken… doesn’t exist.” — Unknown
- When the student is ready, the teacher appears.
- Happiness comes not from having what I want, rather wanting what I have.
- God answers prayers in one of three ways:
- Yes
- Yes, but not now, and…
- I have something better!
Among my list of ‘Top 3 Greatest Stories’ ever told: – subject to change
- The amazing, inspirational story of Bill Wilson & Dr. Bob.
- History of Apple Computer.
Finally… the following are contributions about me are from friends and colleagues, personal and professional:
At AARP’s My Generation magazine, Mike handled a variety of technical challenges and kept our operation running smoothly. In our New York satellite office we were some distance from the Washington, D.C. home office and support system, so we depended on Mike for everything from server, e-mail issues, to publishing technology. Mike was instrumental in implementing QPS. He was patient and respectful with users of all levels of technical sophistication; he was dedicated and hard working, staying with whatever problems arose until they were solved. He also took on many creative challenges for the staff, producing CDs for presentations, etc. He is multi-talented and a pleasure to work with. I recommend him highly for his skills and his professional manner.
— Ann Powell, Senior Managing Director, AARP
Mike is the rare IT guy who both got it done without fail and helped teach me how to do it myself the next time. He gives you the time, he is thorough and determined, and he never forgets to check back up on things. Put simply … he knows his stuff inside and out, and he cares. He’s a one-of-a-kind character, was universally beloved at our agency, and is someone I’ll always look to in the years to come.
—Doug Spitzer, Partner/Chief Creative Officer, Catch New York
Among Mike’s most valuable assets are his curiosity; the number of things he is interested in, and his passion for these things; his capacity for empathy, but mostly (at times to a fault), his propensity to see the GOOD in every person he encounters on a daily basis. For Mike, there is NO such thing as a lost cause.
