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One of my earliest recollections is going to Japan with my mother and sister to join my father who was rotated there after his tour of duty in Korea during that conflict.  My most vivid memories of that experience are the cherry blossoms, earthquakes and my mother and Japanese housekeeper examining me when I had the chicken pox.  

We settled in the San Francisco Bay area where I learned to appreciate the joys of fishing for silver salmon and striped bass and playing baseball.  Over the years, I have become convinced that baseball is the greatest sport on earth and the only sport in heaven.  I grew up watching the great Willie Mays and hating anything to do with the Dodgers.  

Since my childhood I have always been fascinated by the weather.  The more violent the storm the better.  Questions of what made rainbows and why is the sky blue were pondered and relished.  I now know the mathematics, which has not diminished the mystery.

I went to the University of Utah, where I studied meteorology.  I eventually earned a Master of Science degree in Air Pollution Studies.  One of my goals is to one day fly in a hurricane chaser.

Upon graduation, I worked as a contractor for NOAA at the Idaho Falls Atmospheric Turbulence Field Research Office.  We conducted field experiments around the country to determine atmospheric dispersion characteristics in turbulent building wakes, in mountainous terrain and under low-wind speed, inversion conditions.  Much of what we did became the base data for development of the Xu/Q curves that form the foundation of common Gaussian atmospheric dispersion models.  Those were days not soon to be forgotten, but one can only take so many Idaho Falls winters, so it was on to southern California where I worked for four years as an air quality consultant to the electric power, mining and oil refining industries.  

I then joined a Washington Group legacy company in 1980 to provide air quality consulting services to a growing list of environmental customers.  It was not long before I was doing waste cleanup and general remediation work for a number of commercial clients.  The highlight of that phase of my career may have been the day that I told Joe Coors he would have to leave one of his manufacturing facilities, which was being remediated.  Respiratory protection was required and he did not have the proper PPE.  He was cordial, but did not offer me a Coors Light.  

My career on DOE sites began in 1986.  I went to Weldon Spring as the Deputy Project Director for Environmental Affairs.  Soil and water characterization to determine the nature and extent of contamination was my domain then.  Much time was spent on EIS preparation and getting CERCLA Interim Action approvals.  In 1995, it was on to Rocky Flats where I served as project manager of D&D projects, including the D&D of the Laboratory Services Building, the first building demolished at Rocky Flats.  The company asked me to return to Weldon Spring in 1997 as Project Director until 2001.  I had a great experience working with people like Steve Warren, Scott Anderson, Gary and Leslie Beyer, Gene Valette and Roger Nelson.  Great people make for a great job.  We decontaminated and demolished 43 uranium processing buildings, solidified 200,000 cubic yards of semi-solid raffinate, excavated and decontaminated a nine acre abandoned limestone quarry (we had Manhattan Project residues there), dredged off-site lakes and sloughs and disposed 1.48 million cubic yards of contaminated soil and debris in an on-site disposal facility designed to RCRA standards.  You cannot imagine the amount of study that goes into a rock cap designed to prohibit plant growth and animal intrusion.  Scott and I learned more about the intricacies of clarifiers than we ever wanted to know. And finally, no matter how well I hit the ball off the tee, Steve always out drove me.  I still find that disturbing.  

From the heat and humidity of eastern Missouri, it was on to West Valley, New York.  No matter what the winter forecast is for  Buffalo, it snows everyday at West Valley.  There I served as Executive Vice President and Manager of D&D Projects.  New challenges awaited.  We completed the vitrification of 600,000 gallons of high-level waste generated by fuel rod reprocessing.  We decontaminated process cells that had over 100,000,000 dpm alpha.  Full containment bubble suits were the norm there.  Some cells were so hot that only remote work could be done.  My hat is off to the engineers and operators who can not only operate the decontamination equipment remotely, but can repair the equipment remotely as well.  We decontaminated the vitrification cell, including removal of the melter.  The shield container alone weighed 175 tons empty.  The tractor trailer that hauled it to the site was over 190 feet long.  We built and operated a remote- handled waste facility to segregate and properly package TRU and LLW waste.  We did it all with zero lost-time injuries in the last two years.  Zero can be achieved.  We can do it here, too.  

So, that brings me to WIPP.  I love the West and it is great to be back.  I love the desert and the heat.  I look forward to thawing out.  I have met many great people who have a great attitude and a great work ethic.  Those are keys to success.