I was always good with cars and motors. Skipped college due to poor parents. Became head mechanic at 7 mile Standard. Darwin Neinzcyk (class of 69) told me about the new Schlitz can plant in Oak Creek in 1972. I applied and worked there until the plant was shut down in 1989. Went to Aviation school at MATC Oak Creek graduating in 1991. Was not able to land a job (too many young people competing and I was 38). A friend from the Schlitz plant transferred to New Brunswick New Jersey. He let me know there was a job there. So we packed up our stuff and moved to Yardley PA (right on the Delaware river). Worked at that can plant until operations were curtailed and I was laid off in 1997. During my layoff our house caught fire! I became my own contractor and rebuilt the whole house. In 1999 I sold it for enough money to move back to Wisconsin and buy a property in Crestview where I built a very nice home. I went to work for Frontier Sales, a used car dealer on 27th Street in Milwaukee for two years while building the house. Another friend from the Oak Creek can plant helped me get into the former Miller brewing can plant(now owned by Ball Corp.) I worked another twelve years there. In 1996 I was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney disease. My kidneys finally gave out on 2008 when my sister Laura gave me a kidney. From December 3, 2008 I have been given another lease on life and now I have 12 years under the bridge since the transplant!. After two years from the surgery I retired at 60. Since then I ran my own contracting company, partnering with my son. I grew weak so I quit the contracting business. Now I work on cars in my garage.My wife Marilyn took over contracting with my son and she works almost every day.

My other projects were learning how to play Bass guitar and playing in 4 bands over about twenty years. I recently took it back up and played Wisconsin State Fair in 2016. Then I quit again but still jam with old band members. Best thing I ever did. I also learned auto bodywork, painted over two hundred vehicles. I acquired a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 and completely restored it as a tribute car to the one in the movie Vanishing Point. It was SWEEET! Wish I never sold that one.

Graduated MATC Aviation with an A&P license.

In high school I majored in Math, science and took all the trade classes. Since I lived in Caddy Vista we had a gang of friends, almost all of them were from Caddy Vista amd the the class of 1969. This was because my birthday was December 30th so I was held back at Kindergarten. So when they graduated I made friends with Mike Blazey for our senior year.
I remember cruising main street in Racine on Friday nights and hitting "the Ave" on Saturday nights in downtown Milwaukee. Breaking parts in my hot rod '63 Chevy II every month and working like a pit crew to make the weekend. Yes I was a real car guy.