“When I was just a freshman at the University of Texas in 1973 I participated in the successful search and excavation of the 1554 wrecks off Padre Island. In fall 1976 I began graduate studies as a member of the first class of the Nautical Archeology Program under George Bass. During this program I participated in the in the 1977 excavation of a 17th century Portuguese frigate in Mombasa, Kenya, which is in publication at this time.

As employment in underwater archeology was scarce at the time of graduation, like some of my fellow graduates I left to pursue other careers. I elected to finish prerequisites for and attended medical school. This, however, did not diminish my interest in continuing to participate in projects whenever I could. I completed a NOAA course in hyperbaric medicine during residency and was able to help out in 1989 with the exploration of a shipwreck in Bermuda thought to be from 1577.

Subsequently, I teamed up over the last three decades with classmate Dr. Donald Keith and Ships of Exploration and Discovery Research for numerous underwater and terrestrial projects in Panama and Brazil as well as in the Turks and Caicos islands, including three seasons searching for the slave ship Trouvadore.

I continued to practice emergency medicine and was an assistant clinical professor for the University of Arizona. I served as EMS director for two fire departments in the Phoenix area and was the medical director for the FBI SWAT team in Arizona for the last 20 years. I am now sort of retired.

Currently I assist the USCG as an auxiliarist and have been ships physician on the icebreaker Healy and am supporting our marine security response teams with medical training. I also volunteer for the San Diego Maritime Museum and sail the galleon replica San Salvadore as well as our other vessels as crew.

Although I did not remain in nautical archeology full time, my training allowed me to continue to contribute whenever I could. Lifetime friends were made in the NAP.”