I'm a retired federal civil service employee with 30 years of service. I also am a retired U. S. Army Reserve Officer with more than 42 years of service. In addition to amateur radio I have hobbies of collecting spittoons or cuspidors, and collecting anything that pertains to chess including unusual sets, figurines that are playing the royal game, pictures, paintings reproductions of paintings,etc. I've done sport parachuting as well as having been a military parachutist and hold a Senior PArachute Rigger's License from the F. A. A. Most of my adult life I've spent as a Safety and Occupational Health Manager, butI've also been a journalist, and worked as a television news anchor, and broadcase newsman and news director. I have done a great deal of photography both still and movie camera work as well as having had my own darkroom at one time. During my college days I worked many different jobs including short order cook, clerk in a dairy store, shoe salesman, and in my younger days before college I delivered newspapers, worked as an usher and ticket taker in a movie theater, worked as a stocker, and as a bagger in a grocery store. I even sold automobiles once for a very brief period. I was born and reared in north Alabama, but have lived in many states and foreign countries over the years. I love to ride motorcycles, and to do dressage riding, jumping as well as fox huunting on horseback, but haven't done that lately. I've worked the 50 states, but haven't earned my DXCC award yet. Started late in this hobby but love it.