My Family

Gayle and I were married in 1979. It was my second marriage and her first. We met in Monterey in February of 1975 and had an on again, off again romance for five years before tying the knot. Gayle was then a teacher in the Monterey Unified School District.

Gayle was born in Oklahoma, but as a young child moved to Northern California and Southern Oregon. She grew up mostly in Adin California. a small town of less than 500 persons in the North East corner of California. Gayle has one younger brother Don, who lives in Susanville California. Gayle was the first in her family to attend college. She graduated from Cal State Chico in 1969 and after doing her student teaching in Napa, moved to Monterey where she taught 2nd grade at the Hayse School on what was then the Fort Ord Army Base. In 1976, she moved to San Francisco to pursue a Master's degree in early childhood education where she lived for two years. Returning, in 1978, she taught Kindergarten and then moved up to the position of reading specialist. Looking forward, she obtained her administrative credential and was selected as a principal in 1989.  She was principal at the Crumpton Elementary School in the Monterey Unified School District from 1988 through 1996.  In 1996 she opened the Marina Vista Elementary where she now serves as principal.

Gayle is consumed by her job, but in what little spare time she has, she enjoys cooking, traveling (often in our airplane), and going out to one of Monterey's many fine restaurants. We recently added two bedrooms to our house, one of which is allocated to Gayle's pursuit of the perfect body. She can often be found pumping iron or riding the Nordic track. I caller her Gayle Schwartzenegger.

Here are two photographs of Gayle:

• Gayle and our Mooney airplane
• Gayle walking in the Big Sur Marathon

Tory was born in January of 1967 in New York. At the age of five, she moved to Los Angeles with her mother where she grew up. She attended local public schools till 7th grade and thereafter Imaculate Heart High School from which she graduated in 1984. She entered the University of California Santa Barbara and graduated in 1988 with a major in Communications. Shortly after graduating, she went to Cameroon, West Africa on a four month science and service expedition. Returning to LA, she worked in the interior design business and pursued her career as an unpublished writer. In 1993 she had the opportunity to work in Japan for 18 months teaching English to children and adults. Returning to the US, she started teaching at the elementary level, first in Pasadena and then  in the LA Unified School District where she was Kindergarten and 1-2 teacher at the Euclid Avenue School in East LA.  In 1998 she moved to Santa Rosa in Sonoma County, in the winde country north of San Francisco.  There she teaches kindergarten at Doyle Park Elementary School.

Victoria has her own web page.

Garcon Chat

Garcon Chat was our family cat, now deceased.  Garcon joined our family in 1979 and for 18 years he slept between us. This cat was unique!  He had a personality that wouldn't quit.

The cat from hell, but since eated by a mountain lion or a coyote while taking her afternoon stroll.

Gwendolyn

Gwendolyn was our first family pet, and as a one year old cat, attended our wedding with a pink bow around her neck. He was given to us by Connie and Alan Lewis who were moving to Indonesia where Gwendolyn was likely to end up as somebody's dinner. Gwenny joined us for a glass of wine each evening in front of the fire (if it was winter) and was an exceedingly formal cat, with excellent manners (except when it came to small mice). Last year, after a period of failing health, Gwendolyn curled up under the Christmas tree, and went to Kitty Heaven. We miss her.