Father's World | PC Dads

(If you don't want my whole life history, skip to the bullets at the bottom).

Long, long ago, before cars had fins, I was born in Hartford, Connecticut. My family moved to sunny southern California in the late fifties, and I grew up on the beaches of San Clemente during the golden years of the surfing craze. I actually sacked President Nixon's groceries when he visited San Clemente--the BIG EVENT during my formative years. I'm sure HE remembered me.

I grew up in a family of engineers. My grandpa helped develop the transistor at Bell Labs. A normal kid would have followed grandpa's footsteps and become an engineer. But, no, smart guy here decided to do the cool flower child thing--it WAS the hippie era--and became an art history major. Go figure! During my college years I served in the National Guard and even fought a big forest fire. I was nicknamed "little James" in the Army, after the .007 Hollywood spy, but the similarities ended there.

In 1981, I FINALLY graduated with a masters degree in art history. That prepared me to hang out in art galleries or teach art history. Clearly this was not going to be a quick road to riches.

I kept myself afloat by teaching art history part-time and, later, writing for high-tech companies (in Orange County, Calif.) during the day. That led to working for several ad and PR agencies and promoting the PC revolution. I also worked as a contributing editor with publications like Art Week and the Orange County Metropolitan Journal ("contributing editor" means they got my articles without having to pay me benefits).

By 1993, with the tech scene drying up in Southern California and my company sinking fast, I decided to take a job at Intel. How could I pass it up, working in beautiful Oregon doing PR for the Intel Architecture Labs? Two years later I hooked up with fellow-employee Mark Ivey and started brainstorming about doing volunteer workshops in local schools. Our first shows zeroed in on the practical issues of buying a PC. I'd been warned to stay away from Texans, but didn't listen. Next thing I knew I was doing late evening gigs in local schools and preparing for a new life as a PC Dad. It's been an adventure ever since. Check out the Frequently Asked Questions on the PC Dads^sm for the rest of the story.

Ralph: Facts-at-a-Glance

Born 1952, Hartford, Connecticut
Grew up in San Clemente, California.
Joined the National Guard in 1971.
Taught art history part-time for 16 years and worked days doing PR for high-tech companies.
During the 80s and early 90s in Orange County, California, served as a contributing editor for Art Week, Orange Coast Magazine and the Orange County Metropolitan Journal.
Joined Intel in 1993 and moved to Hillsboro, Oregon with my family.
Mark Ivey and I teamed up and formed the PC Dads in Spring of 1995.
Fall of 1995 I completed what I believe is the world's only quarter gazebo in my back yard -- which quickly became a "Watts Towers" of Hillsboro (if you are from L.A. you get the joke).

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