I was fortunate to grow up on a remote farm in southwestern Nebraska.  My parents were hard working farmers without significant means. We lived in a drafty farmhouse without indoor plumbing or central heating.  Each morning began at 6:00 AM with cow milking, animal feeding and watering as well as preparation for field planting, cultivation or harvesting.  At age 8 my parents judged that I was ready to begin driving a tractor pulling farm implements for 8 – 10 hours per day, and contributing to the work efforts of the family.  I started school at age 5 in a one room country schoolhouse with no indoor plumbing where all 7 students drank from one dipper in one bucket.

​

My family moved from the farm to Salem, Oregon when I was 12 years old where I experienced real culture shock, transferring from such a small school into a middle school with 1200 students.  I began working in Oregon doing summer jobs picking fruit and vegetables as did many kids my age.  At age 16 I was able to get a required Work Permit and then got summer jobs working in a cannery.  Two years later I obtained a summer job working at the Oregon State Hospital in a variety of roles where I remained employed through college graduation. When I entered law school, I began a year round part time job working for the Oregon Mental Health Division located on the campus of Oregon State Hospital. That job continued through law school graduation until I was hired by a Salem civil trial firm. I remained a civil trial attorney practicing in Salem, Oregon for 25 years before I became a trial judge.  I greatly value my varied work and life experiences which helped prepare me to serve as a judge, mediator and arbitrator.