Biography
Early years
I was born in 1949, in Boston, Massachusetts. Like you, my early years greatly influenced the decisions I would make later in life.
During the summer as a young boy, I walked what is today called the Boston Freedom Trail: Paul Revere’s home, the Old North Church, Bunker Hill, etc. Over the years this experience has given me a great appreciation and love for our country, its history and its Founding Fathers.
I spent my early years in a boarding school run by Catholic Nuns. These sisters taught me discipline, respect, responsibility, and a strong work ethic, which have followed me throughout my life. To this day I have great admiration, appreciation and respect for the love they showed me and for the influence they had on my life. Over the years, I stayed in contact with my friends until the school recently shut down.
High School
I spent my teenage years growing up in California. I attended high school in Pomona, California, where I met my future wife, Liza. During this time I continued to build upon the lessons I learned from the Nuns, which included providing for myself with after-school jobs, and supporting myself from the time I was eighteen.
Military service and marriage
In 1971, I joined the United States Marine Corp. Liza and I were married in St. George, Utah in 1972. I spent most of my military career at Camp Lejeune, N.C. I was honorably discharged in 1975. After that I moved my family, including two young daughters, to Provo, Utah.
Education
I attended Utah Valley Technical College (now UVSC), where I studied and graduated in building construction. I worked in several areas of the trade before I moved my family to Sanpete County, Utah in 1979. Here I started my own roofing-contracting business, which I continue to run today. This business has given me the opportunity to spend many summer hours passing on the value of hard work to my six sons.
Over the years my love for reading, writing, and learning about truth in all aspects of life led me back to my love for the Founding Fathers and the United States of America. Watching the moral decline of our country in recent years has helped turn a passion for learning into a strong desire to protect and advance the cause of freedom.
Role of religion
My love for my Heavenly Father is in harmony with my love for the United States of America. I am active in my church and have received many callings over the years. Five of my sons are Eagle Scouts, and my youngest son is the fifth to serve a mission for our Church.
Why Utah?
I've been asked why I choose to live in Utah, and in particular rural Utah. My answer is simple. Although my family has lived in Utah thirty-four years, I've lived in enough places outside of Utah to know how fortunate we are to live in this beautiful state, where we enjoy such a high-quality of life, especially for raising a large family. My hope is that these same opportunities will be available for the next generation.
Family
Liza and I raised eleven children: six sons and five daughters. We also have twenty grandchildren. After college, Liza went to work as a full-time mom and now grandmother, a role she still cherishes above all others. We still have a daughter at home, so we identify with the challenges many of you face today, which include the rising cost-of-living, the moral challenges associated with raising a family, and the feeling of uncertainty about the future.
We are blessed to have most of our children living close to home, except for one son living out-of-state and one son serving a mission in Argentina. We look forward to his return.
My hope and goal in serving the State of Utah is to help provide the next generation with the same opportunities and quality of life that Liza and I have enjoyed. I am concerned about the direction of the country and what this means for our future, including the future of all our children.
I love Utah. I love the United States of America.
